The Lancaster General Health pre-doctoral internship is organized around a Practitioner-Scholar model: “Within the practitioner-scholar model of training…scientific training is integrated into the practice training component. Scientific activities are in the service of practice”.[3] Embedded in the practitioner-scholar model is the belief that professional identity is not a static phenomenon that ends once a terminal degree or appropriate licensure or certification is achieved but instead consists of life-long learning that evolves as the field does.  We recognize that science and practice are interlocking skills that form the foundation of psychological knowledge and its application.[1] In contrast to pure practitioner or scientist-practitioner programs, the LGH program is committed to training local clinical scientists who are "practitioner-scholars." As an institution, LGH is committed to training professionals who are prepared to develop as leaders in their professional contexts. Consequently, our program is designed to produce students who are well equipped to emerge as leaders in behavioral medicine, mental health and neuropsychology. This is accomplished through a carefully planned sequence of didactics and adjunctive training experiences.  All of these program components are designed to cultivate a life-long commitment to ongoing learning and professional scholarship, which is particularly relevant to practice and professional service.

At LGH, the training faculty expects interns to learn to practice psychology in a manner that is informed by psychological theory and research. This is true in areas of multicultural diversity, individual diversity, treatment of underserved populations, and in the understanding of social and political influences influencing a psychologist’s practice.[2] Emphasis is also placed on faculty modeling skills, clinical practice and theoretical understanding, ethics, and understanding of the trainee’s role as a developing professional. The goal is to develop critical thinking, conceptualization, problem-solving, and other scientific skills that are particularly pertinent to clinical practice.  As a part of practitioner-scholar training, interns are taught to develop reflective skills and to view their practice as an opportunity to apply and test scientific knowledge. Research is not required as a part of the internship, but interns are strongly encouraged to learn about evidence-based practice and to become familiar with interventions that have been supported by research. Although the internship program provides practitioner-scholar training, we recognize that many of our interns come from scientist-practitioner graduate programs and we believe that the LGH internship complements and is consistent with a long-term goal of scientist-practitioner training.

LGH provides pre-doctoral psychology interns as well as other trainees in psychology with professional literature and resources which are integrated into both supervision and seminars which parallel the trainees’ clinical activities.  Encouraging critical evaluation of the research and theoretical literature supports trainees’ growing ability to use the scientific method in clinical thinking, including developing awareness of bias, hypothesis testing, and evaluation.  Pre-doctoral psychology interns are given professional development time to make progress on their own research, whether that is working toward dissertation completion or other research projects.  In keeping with our training philosophy interns need to be exposed to and develop a wide range of clinical skills, students will be trained to evaluate and treat both hospitalized, medically ill patients as well as patients at our outpatient health campus.

 

Interns are expected to use professional codes of ethics in their decision-making and behavior.  They are to maintain adherence to the standards of practice as established and published in the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct; General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services; Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing; Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic and Culturally Diverse Populations; Guidelines for Computer Based Tests and Interpretations; and the Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services by Clinical Psychologists, Counseling Psychologists, Industrial/ Organizational Psychologists and School Psychologists of the American Psychological Association.  Guidelines as established in the Pennsylvania Licensing Law for Psychologists and other appropriate organizations and standards are also applicable.  Furthermore, students are expected to follow all guidelines and policies as established by Lancaster General Health and the Department of Neuropsychology Specialists.

 

 

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