The Medical Psychology Assessment Center (MPAC) at UCLA Medical Center – Semel Institute offers up to 3 practicum trainee positions per year, under the direct supervision of Xavier Cagigas, PhD and postdoctoral fellows. During their rotation, the practicum trainee participates in 2-3 comprehensive outpatient neuropsychological evaluations per month. Referrals come primarily from psychiatrists and neurologists at UCLA, or from the community at large. These patients present with a broad variety of clinical questions, including TBI, stroke, memory problems, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders, developmental disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological disorders. Exposure to inpatient evaluations with psychiatric or surgical populations is also available.
Each practicum trainee is trained to achieve proficiency in standardized test administration and scoring, with the expectation that they will also increase their proficiency in data interpretation and comprehensive report writing. Additional didactic experiences are offered for practicum trainees to attend on Thursdays (optional).
Please note: This track covers parking for one day per week for all trainees.
Current position openings: We offer up to 3 practicum trainee positions each year. This position requires a minimum time commitment in the MPAC of 12 hours per week with a preference for 16 hours over 2 days. This does not include time spent in supervision.
Resource Allocation: The practicum trainees share a separate office (C8-723) on the same floor as their primary supervisors in the Semel Institute. Appropriate office equipment, including desk and office supplies, is provided. Separate testing rooms are located in C8-750, C8-754, C8-760 and C8-860 and shared scoring computers are available in C8-746. All essential materials, including psychological assessment instruments and record forms, are provided.
Supervision:All practicum trainees will receive at least 1 hour of supervision from a licensed clinical psychologist for every 5 clinical training hours. This time includes case conceptualization, interview, interpretation of data or feedback. In addition, supervision by postdoctoral fellows will also be provided via face-to-face, phone calls, emails, etc. At least 10% of time will be spent in supervision, and at least half of the total supervision time will be individual, face-to-face supervision. Practicum trainee evaluations will be completed by the training director and postdoctoral fellows with feedback from individual case supervisors.
Director/Instructor(s): Xavier Cagigas
Pre-requisites:
None required, however, prior didactic training in psychological assessment is a plus.
Application process:
Candidates are required to submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, two letters of reference, and a letter from the Training Director of the School attesting to the student’s qualifications, and evidence of professional liability coverage provided by the candidate’s doctoral training program.
Please EMAIL ALL MATERIALS to Mr. David Crawford at: dcrawford@mednet.ucla.edu
Deadline for application is February 15th, each year.
