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AAPI Step-by-Step

INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS: STEP-BY-STEP

APPIC strongly encourages internship applicants to work closely with their Director of Clinical Training (DCT) throughout the application process. In order to obtain an internship position at any program that uses the AAPI Centralized Application Service (AAPI CAS), applicants must register for and participate in the APPIC Match. Therefore, the AAPI CAS service may only be used by applicants who are enrolled in doctoral programs that are APPIC Doctoral Program Associates (DPA). Here is a step-by-step overview of the process:

 

July

  1. Register for Match News. This is the only communication means that key information (e.g., sites withdrawing from the match) about internship applications and the Match can be shared with you by the AAPI and Match Coordinators.
  2. Consult with your DCT to determine what internship application supports are available to students and whether there are any application eligibility deadlines (e.g., dissertation proposal, AAPI DCT verification materials, etc.) for your doctoral program.

 

August

  1. Compile your internship site list using the APPIC Directory where you can find information about each site including the link to their training brochure. There is no login or registration required for this step. Reach out to a mentor knowledgeable about the internship process and your training goals for feedback on your site list. Having a working site list will help you complete your applications as you know who your audience will be.

 

September

  1. Start your application in the AAPI CAS portal by filling in the various fields. You will need to create a username and password. There is no cost to complete your AAPI.  On each page of the AAPI, there is a link to the AAPI Help Center where you will find answers to the most common applicant questions.
  2. After completing the Academic History quadrant in your AAPI CAS, order one official copy of all U.S. and Canadian graduate transcript(s) to be sent directly to AAPI CAS from your Registrar or Transcript Processing Service (E.g., Parchment). These transcripts are verified as official, scanned into the system, and attached to each application that is submitted by the applicant. All graduate coursework transcripts are required regardless of whether that coursework resulted in a degree or was related to psychology. Undergraduate transcripts are not accepted. Click here for more details about transcript submission.
  3. Ask three mentors to complete Standardized Reference Forms. Choose mentors who can best speak to your profession wide competencies, ideally in the areas most applicable to internship sites.
    1. At least 4-6 weeks prior to your first application deadline, ask your mentors if they would be willing to write you a recommendation. If they say yes, send them the REQUIRED Standardized Reference Form (SRF) so that they can start drafting the SRF content.
    2. Once the internship sites are made visible in the AAPI portal on 9/15, select the internship sites of interest to you from the “Add Program” tab. TIP: Use the search filters to search by APPIC program number to ensure you add the correct programs to your list.
    3. Once you have added a program in your AAPI portal, you can enter the information requested for each recommender in the Program Materials quadrant.
    4. Your selected recommenders will receive an email with instructions for how to complete the SRF. They will have the option to click a box to initiate the “Re-use” feature, endorsing the use of their SRF for all future applications. We suggest that recommenders generally submit a universal SRF to go to all sites and thus, use the "Re-use" feature.
  1. Enter your practicum experiences and submit for DCT verification. In the  Psychology Training Experiences quadrant of your AAPI CAS, follow the instructions to navigate to the free AAPI Tab within Time2Track where you will enter your practicum experiences. You will be prompted to create a username and password (it can be the same one you used for your AAPI CAS). Once you complete the portions of the AAPI that need to be verified by your DCT (e.g., total hours, dissertation progress, etc.), you will digitally submit your AAPI for DCT Verification. The DCT will then either approve the information (via an electronic signature) or ask you to make changes prior to verification.

 

October

  1. Polish and deidentify your written materials. For each site, you will upload your CV, a set of four 500-word essays, and a tailored cover letter in the AAPI CAS Program Materials quadrant. Sites are also allowed to ask for two supplemental materials including testing reports or treatment summaries. Reach out to a mentor knowledgeable about the internship process to give you feedback on your materials. You will store all written materials on your own computer and upload the versions of your choice to each application. You will need to thoroughly DEIDENTIFY your written materials to remove PHI using HHS guidelines prior to uploading them into the AAPI portal. More information about the written materials, including the essay prompts, can be found in the Program Materials section of the AAPI Help Center. 
  2. Register for the Match on the NMS website once you have received approval from your DCT to apply to internship this cycle. The match ​registration ​fee is $130.
  3. Submit your applications! Once you are verified by your DCT and have completed the rest of your AAPI, you can begin submitting applications even if your transcripts and/or SRFs have not yet been received. Once any outstanding transcripts or SRFs are submitted, they will automatically be attached to your AAPI and made visible to the Training Directors. It is STRONGLY advised that you aim to submit your applications at least 72 hours prior to the deadline as there are often glitches, surges, and other phenomena that are not always in our control. ALL internship sites' portals will close on 11:59pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME on their specified deadline date in the AAPI portal regardless of the time zone of the internship program. Application fees are charged to students on a per application basis and occur at the point of application submission. The AAPI fees are $50.00 to submit the first application and $32 for each of the next 2-15 submissions and $60 for applications 16 and above.

 

November-December

  1. Practice interviewing with trusted peers and mentors while you wait for interview notifications. 
  2. Schedule your interviews. Interview offers can begin to trickle in early November but most are put forth in the first two weeks of December. 

 

December-January

  1. Complete your interviews. A small proportion of internship sites offer December interviews with the majority offering interviews in January.

 

February

  1. Submit your Phase I rank list to NMS after you have consulted with trusted mentors to ensure that you are considering all of the important factors in this decision. 

15) Receive your Phase I match results

(Please visit About the APPIC Match for more details about the Match process, including the specific match dates for the current application cycle.)