Training Directors FAQ

What are the benefits of being an APPCN member?

By becoming a member of APPCN, you will increase your program’s visibility to potential applicants. You will have access to a wealth of knowledge from other members, via our closed ListServ (open only to APPCN Member Program faculty). In addition, APPCN has created a Members Handbook that provides guidelines and assistance on a variety of topics such as pursuing APA Accreditation and Supervision Strategies. In addition, your program will also have access to materials to prepare your fellows for the board certification process, including a resident written examination, mock fact finding exercises, and ethical vignettes. APPCN member programs also follow a competency-based curriculum designed to prepare fellows for the ABPP/ABCN board certification process. Your program will be able to participate in the Match process. Once you are an APPCN member, for access to the the APPCN Members Handbook and mock exams, please see the Members Only page.

Who can apply to APPCN?

Training directors of programs that offer postdoctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology, which adhere to INS/Division 40/Houston Conference guidelines for postdoctoral programs.

Does the Training Director have to be Board Certified?

Yes, although provisional membership may be available on a case-by-case basis (e.g., if training director is in process of board certification)

How much does it cost to apply?

Application for membership in APPCN is free.

What are the yearly dues to be an APPCN member?

$250

How does one apply?

Please click here to access the APPCN Self-Study form (the application)

We are a brand new program with no graduated postdoctoral fellows and much of what we are writing in our self-study is aspirational. How do we fill out the sections of the self-statement that ask about our history?

As a new program, you are not expected to be able to supply historical data (you can put N/A with a note of explanation for any fields which do not apply for your program). If the new training director was a former training director at another APPCN site, that information can be used in an aspirational manner from which to model the new program.

Is there a time period for which a program needs to exist before applying for APPCN Membership?

APPCN does not have a policy of a certain number of years/fellows being run through before the program can apply for APPCN status. One of the missions of APPCN is to nurture new programs and thus invites such programs with the hope of mentoring them by example and ongoing education. However, the Membership Committee may ask you to defer your Self-Study until you have had experience with a postdoctoral fellow and developed rotations and didactics.

We would like to join APPCN in time to participate in this February’s match. How long is the turnaround once we submit our self-study document?

Generally, the turn-around time from time of application to decision is about six weeks. It is strongly recommended that programs submit their application by November 1 of the prior year to be able to participate in the Match of the following February. If a program does not meet the November 1 deadline, there may not be time for the application review process prior to the next Match.

How are the self-study materials reviewed for potential member programs?

The Membership Committee, consisting of the Membership Chairperson and Membership Committee members evaluate the substance and merit of the self-study. If there are questions that need to be clarified by the Training Director at the applying site, these are discussed by the Chairperson and the Training Director in order to satisfy the committee. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the program has the components required to satisfy APPCN specifications and also to ensure the quality of the program for postdoctoral fellows. Once the self-study has been approved by the Committee, its recommendations are forwarded to the APPCN Board for their approval. When that approval has been obtained, the President will issue a formal letter of acceptance to the site.

As a relatively new program applying to APPCN, how will the organization help us mentor our postdoctoral fellows regarding the boarding process?

APPCN supplies guidelines and recommended references. In addition, APPCN provides written exams, which must be carefully guarded and administered under strict security to protect the test itself. This will allow the postdoctoral associate to gauge the breadth and depth of the exam and to begin to prepare accordingly. APPCN also provides mock adult and pediatric fact-finding cases as well as ethical vignettes.

This is our first year to offer our fellow the practice exam. How should it be administered?

Test security is very important as these tests are extremely difficult to create. You should find a mutually agreeable time for your fellow to take the exam in a quiet area, such as a conference room or testing room. The fellow should be handed the exam by you as opposed to sending it electronically. The testing time is one hour. At the end of it, the fellow should bring you the exam, which you then score. You can share the results with the fellow, showing him/her the scored exam in your presence. No copies should be made by the fellow. You will be asked to send the completed scored exam to the President of APPCN and to fill out a very brief questionnaire about your site. The goal is to ascertain how our APPCN program fellows are faring with regard to knowledge needed for the exam. The practice exam also helps the fellow hone in on how to study for it.

I am a faculty member at an APPCN Member Program. How do I join the APPCN ListServ?

Please click here.

As a longstanding APPCN program, we have concerns about applicant withdrawal rates increasing. What are those rates and are they increasing?

Withdrawal rates have remained stable at approximately 30% from 2007 to the present.

From the recent surveys, what have been critiques from applicants that we can address as training directors?

Some of the applicants have been expressed concern when sites do not tell applicants if they are going to be interviewed. Others have complained that the application materials vary from site to site. Yet others have asked for a uniform application deadline. Some applicants have requested that the sites ensure that the information they have posted on different websites is consistent and not out-of-date. This can be a problem if the important information, e.g., deadlines, are not accurate.

Due to financial constraints, our APPCN Fellowship Program will not be filling a position this year. Is there any reduction in fees for us?

Programs that have not offered a residency position for a period of two consecutive cycles (four years) are placed in “inactive” status. The fee for a program in inactive status is reduced by 25%.

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