Mid Atlantic Internship Consortium: An Affiliated Internship of Argosy University/ Washington DC Consortium Agreement 2006-2007
Background and Rationale The Mid Atlantic Internship Consortium (MAIC or the Consortium) was established to provide an APPIC (Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) qualified training program for Argosy University/Washington DC (AU/DC) students. The purpose of the Consortium is to provide clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship training and to assist in the placement of interns from AU/DC. It is administratively coordinated by the Internship Director, who is core faculty of Argosy University, and the Director of Internship Training at AU/DC. The MAIC intends to apply for membership in APPIC and as such the members are considered sites/rotations within the Consortium not individual members of APPIC. Terms of Agreement A written agreement is used by the Consortium each year to formalize the training commitment of collaborating institutions and agencies. This agreement is entered into by AU/DC as the administrative agency of the Consortium, and the undersigned participating agency. Membership in the Consortium is by written agreement and can be revoked at the end of the internship year by written notice from either of the undersigned parties. The Internship Director will coordinate with APPIC and other accrediting agencies. Members of the Consortium will follow APPIC guidelines in meeting requirements for APPIC internships. Regular site evaluations and reports on the intern’s performance will provide the quality control of the training experience. Periodic meetings and contact during the training year will facilitate communication and enhance problem solving related to the internship program and the governance and policies of the Consortium. Grievance procedures for problems that may arise with interns are included in the Consortium Handbook and should be consulted and followed when necessary. Membership in the Consortium may change over time, as will components of the training program as deemed appropriate by the Internship Director and Consortium members. A current description of active sites, staffing, and program features will be made available by the Internship Director in the Consortium Handbook for each internship year. It is the responsibility of members to report significant changes to the Internship Director. Consortium Agreement on Training Philosophy and Goals MAIC is designed to prepare interns for a professional practice in psychology. The Consortium ascribes to a practitioner-scholar model. One of the primary goals of the internship is to help facilitate the personal and professional growth of each intern based
on the intern’s own learning plan. The training model is sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity. Training in ethical and professional standards will be incorporated in supervision and seminar presentations to prepare the interns for the highest standards of professional conduct. As a consortium member we are committed to providing an internship experience consisting of intensive supervision, didactic seminars, case presentations, scholarly presentations and direct clinical experience. Specific goals for the intern include: 1) Exposing interns to a broad range of clinical interventions during which time the caseload increases in diversity, severity of pathology, and complexity of issues. 2) Producing graduates who are sensitive to multicultural issues; race, gender, sexual orientation, religious preferences and physical and mental disabilities. 3) Instruct and supervise interns in a wide array of methods of assessment, diagnoses and intervention procedures using several different theoretical models. 4) Preparing interns to work in multi-disciplinary settings. 5) Facilitate interns’ personal growth and foster their level of responsibility and autonomy in providing psychological services. 6) Increase the interns’ knowledge and handling of legal, ethical, and professional issues involved in the practice of professional psychology. Consortium Agreement on Rules and Regulations 1) APPIC requirements for internship sites state that each site have a full-time psychologist available for support, supervision and professional development, is an employee/member of that agency, and has been designated as responsible for the training and supervision of psychology interns. Sites are required to provide two hours per week of face-to-face individual supervision for each intern by a psychologist licensed in the state where the training is taking place. Supervision by other mental health professionals may also be a part of the intern’s training, but interns must still receive two hours per week of face-to-face supervision with a licensed psychologist. 2) Whenever possible, Consortium members will share resources, develop coordinated training activities and admissions. AU/DC will provide resources in supporting supervision and training through weekly group supervision for all interns and a weekly training seminar. The Consortium offers a weekly threehour workshop where didactic training on specific topics is offered and interns conduct case presentations. In addition to the weekly individual and group supervision and regularly scheduled didactic training, interns are expected to attend a Monthly Scholar Training Series offered by the various participating
agencies. Among those that are mandatory for all interns are the following: Law and Ethics, Supervision, Psychopharmacology and Diversity Training. 3) The internship is a year-long, full-time, 2000-hour training experience. Interns and sites may adjust their schedules to meet the needs and training experience of both. It is expected that interns will accumulate their hours based on a 40-hour week for a minimum of 50 weeks. Overtime will not be grounds for leaving an internship in less than 50 weeks. Interns should also provide a minimum of 500 hours of direct client contact or approximately one-quarter of their time. The rest of the time should be spent with training experiences, supervision, report writing, case conferences, meetings, research, etc. Sites are free to develop their own individual training experiences based on what they have to offer and the training needs of the interns. 4) The internship begins on September 5, 2006. In addition, no provision is made for interns to start their training year before September 5, 2006. Interns are also covered by liability/malpractice insurance through AU/DC for a calendar year. Interns who do not document 2000 hours during the training year should discuss this with their site supervisor and the Internship Director to attempt to arrange for continuation at the site until those hours are completed. Sites are not obligated to continue the intern’s stipend beyond their one-year commitment, and interns are responsible for providing their own malpractice insurance or register for internship credit with AU/DC if they wish to be covered for more than a calendar year. 5) The Consortium Training Committee meets regularly (every other month) to discuss issues pertaining to the internship training program and to ensure the quality and integrity of the training program. The psychologist training directors should make every effort to attend; however, given the time requirements associated with the travel distance between internship locations, teleconference attendance may be a feasible solution when absolutely necessary. In addition to meeting face-to-face every other month the Consortium Training Committee is in constant contact via e-mail, phone, or through teleconferencing. 6) Financial Structure: Funding for intern slots is provided through the Consortium and each agency is responsible for funding a minimum of one internship position. Each intern will receive a contract after they have been informed of their match from the APPIC Matching Service within the time limits set forth by APPIC (currently 72 hours). This contract includes the internship start date (beginning with a general orientation), pay level, benefits, as well as the number of hours required to successfully complete the internship. Each intern is guaranteed a minimum annual stipend of $18,000. 7) Under this Agreement, the Psychology Intern compensation will be the sole responsibility of AU/DC. AU/DC will indemnify and hold harmless EHP for any and all taxes, benefits, worker’s compensation insurance premiums and malpractice insurance premiums associated with compensation of the Psychology Intern for participation in the Psychology Internship Program. 8) Facility Requirements: All participating facilities will provide adequate facilities to accommodate interns and their activities. Additionally, all agencies agree and
acknowledge a uniform commitment to administering and implementing the program’s training principles, policies, and procedures addressing intern admission, financial support, training resource access, mid and end year performance evaluations and expectations as defined by AU/DC in collaboration with the Consortium Training Committee. 9) The Psychology Intern must meet the following conditions a minimum of ninety (90) days prior to the September 5th commencement date: a. Execute an Operating Agreement and Service Agreement with EHP that designates EHP as the payor for all collections from professional services associated with the Internship Program. Obtain Psychology Associate status from the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists under the direct supervision of an EHP designated psychologist supervisor. Submit an application to and receive approval from the Union Memorial Hospital for Psychology Associate privileges. Provide evidence of occurrence-type malpractice insurance with minimum limits of $1M/$3M with no deductible (Provided by AU/DC).
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10) Term and Termination: This agreement will be in effect for one year following initiation of the internship year (September 5, 2006) with the option to expand, renew or terminate the Agreement on December 1st of each year for the next September 1st to August 31st period of performance. At that time both parties will assess for continuation and review the agreement. Notice of termination shall come the prior year before acceptance of the upcoming intern class. If unforeseen circumstances prevail the agency must submit a letter explaining the need to terminate the agreement along with an action plan to resolve any issues that may unduly impact the intern. * It is important to note that any party withdrawing from the agreement shall remain obligated, for the remainder of the contract term and to the financial commitment made in the original acceptance contract issued to the intern. Likewise, any intern withdrawing from the internship prior to completion of their agreement will not be entitled to financial recompense or benefits beyond the last date of service. Should the Psychology Intern fail to meet any condition specified in this Agreement and/or should the Psychology Intern become unacceptable to AU/DC, EHP, the psychologist supervisor, or Union Memorial Hospital, then immediate termination may ensur with appropriate grounds for such termination. Termination of the Psychology Intern will result in immediate termination of financial obligation on the part of EHP and AU/DC.
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11) Staffing Requirements: It is incumbent on each agency to provide adequate staffing to carry out internship training functions within the Consortium as defined in Rule # 1. Each intern’s primary supervisor will be a licensed psychologist in good standing with the State in which the training is taking place. Consortium Agreement The undersigned agree to participate as a member of the Mid Atlantic Internship Consortium for the 2006-2007 training year, beginning on (or within two weeks of) September 1, 2006 and ending on August 31, 2007, under the terms stated above. This Memorandum of Understanding will be in effect for one year following the initiation of the internship year (September 1, 2006 - August 31, 2007). At that time it will be reviewed by both parties to assess continuation. This agreement constitutes the entire understanding and agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter thereof, and may not be modified without the written agreement of said parties. Signed by: _________________________________________ Site Name _________________________________________ __________________________ Administrator/Site Director Date ________________________________________ Internship Director, AU/DC ___________________________ Date