Psychology Doctoral Internship Program

Fargo VA Health Care System Psychology Doctoral Internship Program:

The doctoral internship at the Fargo VA Health Care System offers internships to U.S. citizens who are pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA-accredited or CPA-accredited institution. Our program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Our next APA site visit will be in 2033. 

Applicants must demonstrate completion of at least three years of graduate course work and a minimum of 250 direct intervention hours and 30 direct assessment hours of supervised graduate level pre-internship practicum experience. If you are not meeting these requirements due to pandemic related implications, please reach out to Directors of Training. Applicants must be certified as ready for internship by their Director of Training. For additional information, please refer to the brochure below:

Eligibility Requirements for Doctoral Internship:

• U.S. citizenship. VA is unable to consider applications from anyone who is not currently a U.S. citizen. Verification of citizenship is required following selection. All interns and fellows must complete a Certification of Citizenship in the United States prior to beginning VA training.
• A male applicant born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the draft by age 26 to be eligible for any US government employment, including selection as a paid VA trainee. Male applicants must sign a pre-appointment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration before they can be processed into a training program. Exceptions can be granted only by the US Office of Personnel Management; exceptions are very rarely granted.
• Interns are subject to fingerprinting and background checks. Match result and selection decisions are contingent on passing these screens. Matched interns are also required to have proof of up-to-date vaccinations, including screening for tuberculosis and hepatitis B vaccination (or have signed declination waivers).

Health Professions Trainees (HPTs)- are appointed as temporary employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. As such, HPTs are subject to laws, policies, and guidelines posted for VA staff members.  There are infrequent times in which this guidance can change during a training year which may create new requirements or responsibilities for HPTs.  If employment requirements change during the course of a training year, HPTs will be notified of the change and impact as soon as possible and options provided. The VA Training Director for your profession will provide you with the information you need to understand the requirement and reasons for the requirement in timely manner.

VA conducts drug screening exams on randomly selected personnel as well as new employees. Interns are not required to be tested prior to beginning work, but once on staff they are subject to random selection for testing as are other employees. In accord with the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Program, interns that are selected may be asked to submit a urine specimen at the beginning of the training year, and other branches of the federal government (Office of Personnel Management) may conduct routine background checks at their discretion. While several states have passed laws permitting medicinal or recreational use of marijuana, it remains a schedule one controlled substance under superseding federal law.  Possession of marijuana on federal properties or presenting to work under the influence of marijuana may subject individuals to prosecution and may result in additional adverse civil actions.  Applicability of federal law, regulation, and policy governing possession remain in effect even in cases where individuals may have a prescription or other authority recognized under state law. If you have more specific questions regarding eligibility requirements, including drug testing and background checks, please refer to the OPM website (https://www.opm.gov/ as well as this helpful link:

VA Drug-Free Workplace Program Guide for Veterans Health Administration Health Professions Trainees 

Internship applicants also must meet these criteria to be considered for any VA Psychology Internship Program:

Psychology Practicum Program

Psychology Doctoral Internship Point of Contact:

APPIC match number: 220711