Selection Criteria for APA-Accredited Internships Stratified by Type of Site and Competitiveness

As the internship marketplace becomes more competitive, doctoral students and faculty of professional psychology programs must become more knowledgeable of the selection criteria used by APA-accredited internship sites. Clinical experience was identified as one of the most important criteria used for selection by all respondents. However, criteria used by medical schools, university counseling centers, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, the three largest suppliers of internships, and by sites reporting low, medium, or high competitiveness appeared to vary as a function of the unique characteristics of the sites.