Program-sanctioned hours
Program sanctioned hours are usually undertaken for the following reasons:
1. The student and/or program identifies a gap in the student’s training that needs to be filled;
2. Through unpaid or paid work, or through clinical research endeavors, the student is involved in supervised clinical experiences that are not part of practicum experiences (i.e., these experiences are not an official/required part of the clinical training offered by the program);
3. The student seeks to strengthen his/her credentials in preparation for internship applications or future employment.
The APPIC internship application allows ‘program-sanctioned hours’ to be added to official practicum hours in a student’s application. These hours accrue in a variety of contexts: research, agency, clinic, private practice, hospital, schools, etc., and may be paid or unpaid.
A minimum number of hours is not required, and students may work any amount of time (e.g., 2-week block of full-time work, 1 day a week for 4 months, etc.) that is consistent with university and funding policies and does not interfere with their ability to progress as expected toward completion of their MSc and PhD. The maximum amount of time, therefore, is normally not to exceed the regular number of hours for a one-term practicum placement—120 hours per term. If the number of hours is expected to exceed this limit, the student needs to specifically discuss the reasons as to why this is the case, and justify the experience in terms of their thesis work progression with the Director of Clinical Training (DCT). In addition, students at the MSc1 level would not typically be approved for program-sanctioned hours through experiences at clinics (although program-sanctioned hours accrued during research in the student’s lab can still be claimed) given the necessary focus on courses and thesis work at that early stage in their graduate career. As part of the APPIC application process, the DCT must confirm in writing that the student has completed the number of hours reported in his/her application.
Criteria for program-sanctioned hours include:
1. The activity must be a valid clinical experience providing Psychological Service(s) as defined by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) standards of practice:
“Psychological Services refer to services of a psychological nature that are provided by or under the direction of a member. Psychological services include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:
a. Evaluation, diagnosis and assessment of individuals and groups
b. Interventions with individuals and groups
c. Consultation
d. Program development and evaluation
e. Supervision
f. Research” (page 3, The CPO Standards of Professional Conduct document,
see:
Please note that for point fabove (“Research”), the Clinical Program at Queen’s University supports clinical interviews and administration of tests (even repeated administration of tests) and assessment tools and their subsequent scoring and interpretation as program-sanctioned hours.
2. The activity must be supervised by a licensed/registered psychologist who assumes professional responsibility for the work completed by the student. The amount of supervision will depend on experience level of the student and the nature of the work, but should approximate that of an official Practicum. The Supervisor will complete and sign a brief evaluation form to confirm the number of hours worked by the student, and to indicate that the work was satisfactory.
3. The activity should be approved in advance by the DCT, whenever possible, using the Advanced Approval of Potential Program-Sanctioned Hours form, see below. Final number of hours worked and evaluation must then be submitted when the work is completed, using the Program-Sanctioned Hours Approval form. With implementation of this form, activities in progress may be approved using the Advanced Approval of Potential Program-Sanctioned Hours form.
4. Hours should be documented in detail as per APPIC categories.
Please note that if you are working as a Clinical Assistant at the Psychology Clinic under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Parker or Dr. Susan Meyers, or working at the Psychology Clinic under the supervision of Dr. Chris Bowie, Dr. Kate Harkness, or Dr. Caroline Pukall, these hours are already program-sanctioned and do not need to be pre-approved. Please email the DCT for approval once these hours are completed (please document them in detail as per APPIC categories). In addition, if you already received approval for program-sanctioned hours by the DCT before this form was implemented online (December 2013), please consider them as already approved (i.e., there is no need to seek approval retroactively).
Please also note that not all requests for program-sanctioned hours will be approved, and that sometimes, only partial hours will be approved. The DCT uses the CPO definition of Psychological Services as a guide, in conjunction with the proportion of hours in service and supervision, and quality of the exposure in terms of breadth in order to make this decision. If you feel, however, that the decision made in your case is not fair in some way, please feel free to discuss this issue directly with the DCT, the Clinic Director, or the Graduate Program Coordinator.
Advanced Approval of Potential Program-Sanctioned Hours Form
Date:
Name of Student:Program Level (e.g., MSc2):
Reason for Additional Clinical Experience:
Name and Address of Clinical Activity Site:
Projected Number of Total Clinical Hours to be Completed:
Paid [ ] or Unpaid [ ] Experience
Name of Registered Clinical/Research Supervisor:
Frequency and Nature of Supervision (e.g., face to face, individual):
Population seen in Clinical Activity Site (e.g., adult, children, families):
Checklist to be Reviewed by Clinical/Research Supervisor and Student
YES / NOIs the activity a valid clinical experience in Psychological Service(s) as defined in the CPO Standards of Practice?
Is the activity supervised by a CPO-registered (or other Registered or Licensed Clinical Psychologist, please specify ______) who assumes professional responsibility for the work?
Does the ratio of planned supervision to direct clinical hours approximate what is required during an official practicum?
Will the Supervisor complete and sign a brief form that confirms the number of clinical hours and indicates that the work was satisfactory?
We have reviewed the criteria for program-sanctioned hours, believe that the clinical experiences will meet the criteria, and commit to fulfilling these criteria throughout the period of clinical experiences.By the student signing, s/he is acknowledging that her/his commitment to this clinical work has been discussed with her/his Research Supervisor and approved.
______
StudentDate
______
Psychologist SupervisorDate
______
Decision by DCT[ ] approved[ ]partial approval: details[ ] rejected-reason:
______
Director of Clinical TrainingDate
Program-Sanctioned Hours Approval Form (to be filled out and submitted upon completion)
Date:
Name of Student:
Name and Address of Clinical Activity Site:
Name of Registered Clinical/Research Supervisor:
Start Date of Clinical Activity: ______End date: ______
Table: Hours Completed
Activity / Number of HoursFace to face patient/research participant contact hours in:
Assessment
-Intake
-Test administration
-Feedback sessions
Therapy
Other, please specify
Supervision
Support (reports, scoring, meetings, etc.)
TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS
* Please append a one page summary of type of assessments/therapy etc. completed.
Student Statement
I hereby confirm that the information on this document is an accurate representation of my clinical experience.
______
StudentDate
Clinical/Research Supervisor Statement
I hereby confirm that ______completed the stated number of clinical hours at the above-named setting under my supervision, and that the work completed was satisfactory.
______
Psychologist SupervisorDate
______
Decision by DCT[ ] approved[ ]partial approval: details[ ] rejected-reason:
______
Director of Clinical TrainingDate