Recruitment and selection in health service psychology postdoctoral training: A review of the history and current issues.

Abstract

The process of recruitment and selection for health service psychology postdoctoral training has a complex, and sometimes, controversial history. We review the history of this selection process and discuss several issues that complicate postdoctoral selection. These issues range from the hetero-This article was published Online First November 9, 2017. DOUG BODIN is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a pediatric neuropsychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. His areas of professional and research interest include training issues in clinical neuropsychology and outcomes in children and adolescents with concussion. JOEL P. SCHMIDT is currently the psychology training director at the VA Northern California Health Care System, California, and previously served as chair of the VA Psychology Training Council. His primary interests include motivational interviewing, behavior therapy, technology and data analytics in clinical training, and systemic approaches to training innovation.

Towards Enacting Social Justice in HE - A Case of Postdoctoral Research Fellows

“…As a result of an oversupply of PhDs, some move from one short-term funded project to another. Bodin et al (2018) note that the concept of PDRFs continues to evolve and is made up of several submarkets; entry level job, research fellowship, general fellowship and postdoctoral fellowship. The fact that PDRFs are now used as temporary employment results in exploitation (Akerlind, 2005).…”

“…While Bodin et al (2018) reviewed the recruitment and selection of PDRFs in Health Sciences Psychology in the US, their recommendations are applicable to any institution. They include the involvement of training councils, for instance, the Universal Psychological Postdoctoral Directory (UPPD) and larger national organisations to facilitate the appointment of PDRFs.…”

“…It is hoped that it will inspire further research on measures to support this group of academics who have been neglected, especially in Africa, by unveiling the significant role they play on the research front. Studies have noted that PDRFs' contribution to knowledge production is constrained by the fact that their purpose and function remain undefined, a situation which is exacerbated by their invisibility, and inferior and powerless position (Akerlind, 2005;Bodin et al, 2018;Lembani, Teddy, Molosiwa, and Hwabamungu, 2016;McQuaid and McCutcheon, 2018). Furthermore, the literature points to Africa's minimal contribution to the global knowledge economy (Hallinger, 2016).…”

Postdoctoral training in health service psychology: Introduction to the special section.

“…The expansion of available postdoctoral positions and the greater differentiation among these opportunities has led to some dilemmas regarding recruitment of trainees and selection of positions. Bodin and colleagues (2018) note that despite increasing opportunities for formalized training in many specific areas (e.g., accredited general and specialty programs), there is still great heterogeneity among postdoctoral training options. Additionally, as the number of available positions expands, postdoctoral training sites and formal programs may need to focus their efforts not just on training, but on strategies to recruit the most competitive applicants.…”

“…Other strategies have the potential to place any given site at a disadvantage (e.g., adhere to nationally proposed guidelines for offer dates, perhaps missing out on a top applicant with numerous early offers), but have the potential to maximize the best “fit” between applicants and positions overall. Bodin et al (2018) draw from prior history of the evolution of a match process in other fields within medicine, such as gastroenterology fellowships, and from the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropscyhology match (in which some clinical neuropsychology programs participate). Trends from these fields over time indicate that when most programs participate in coordinated selection initiatives (e.g., a formal match program), overall outcomes can be enhanced (Bodin et al, 2018).…”