CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

12 April 2011

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

REGISTRATION PROCESS

Semester Two ! Seminar on the new national regulations for the registration of Psychologists ! Simon Milton, Professional Officer NSW Psychologist Registration Board

www.psychologyboard.gov.au

PROGRAM
6:00 6:05 6:10 Welcome and Introductions PSYCHE Sadhana Raju School of Psychology Milla McPhee President, PSYCHE

Overview of psychology Sadhana Raju careers and study pathways In Focus: Clinical Psychology and Research Careers Sarah Eskandari Registered psychologist PhD Candidate Postgraduate Teaching Fellow School of Psychology

6:40

6:55

Q&A

SCIENCE

PROFESSION

?
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PSYCHOLOGIST?

! The term psychologist ! Registration as a psychologist is overseen nationally by the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) ! Accreditation of suitable courses is overseen by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) ! Provisional registration requires
-! 4 year APAC accredited sequence of study in psychology

! Full general registration requires additional training

-! A two year Board approved internship [known as the 4+2 Pathway] -! An accredited Masters or professional Doctorate degree [known as the Higher Degree Pathway]

SPECIALIST ENDORSEMENT
! Specialist endorsement ! Registered psychologists who practise in certain areas of psychology may be eligible for endorsement in an approved area of practice.
a). clinical psychology b). counselling psychology c). forensic psychology d). clinical neuropsychology e). organisational psychology f). sport and exercise psychology g). educational and developmental psychology h). health psychology and i). community psychology.
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SPECIALIST ENDORSEMENT

To be eligible for specialist endorsement:

a). an accredited doctorate in one of the approved areas of practice, and a minimum one year of approved, supervised, full-time equivalent practice with a Board approved supervisor; or b). an accredited Masters in one of the approved areas of practice, and a minimum of two years of approved, supervised, full-time equivalent practice with a Board approved supervisor; or c). another qualification that, in the Boards opinion, is substantially equivalent to (a) or (b).

How to become a psychologist

MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY (3 YEARS)

HONOURS OR 4th YEAR EQUIVALENT IN PSYCHOLOGY (1 YEAR)

POSTGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING (2/3 YEARS) OPPORTUNITY FOR SPECIALIST ENDORSEMENT

PSYCH BOARD APPROVED INTERNSHIP (2 YEARS)

MAJOR

4th

YEAR

PROFESSIONAL Pathway

POSTGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OR PSYCH BOARD APPROVED INTERNSHIP

WHAT ABOUT RESEARCH?

SCIENCE

PROFESSION

?
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MAJOR

4th

YEAR

RESEARCH Pathway

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHD) (3 4 YEARS)

MAJOR

4th YEAR

COMBINED Pathway

COMBINE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING WITH RESEARCH

WHAT IF YOU GRADUATE AFTER A MAJOR?

The skills gained during a major include:

MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY (3 YEARS) !! !! !! !! !! Communication skills Teamwork and leadership Problem solving and analytical skills Familiarity with SPSS Understanding of research design, data analysis and interpretation

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES WITH A MAJOR IN PSYCHOLOGY

! Advertising ! Careers counsellor ! Correctional service ! Child welfare ! Health promotions ! Management consultant ! Occupational health & safety

! Market & social research ! Marketing ! Journalism ! Public relations ! Recruitment ! Social research ! Public health ! Human Resources ! Graduate positions in industry (private and public sectors)

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SALARY INFORMATION
BACHELORS DEGREE Salary
! Median salary $47,000

Top 3 occupations
! Legal, Social and Welfare Professional ! Business, Human Resource, Marketing Professional ! Health and Welfare Support Workers

What do Psychology graduates do after finishing a Bachelors degree?

! Available for full-time employment ! In further full-time study ! Part-time or casual employment 43.5% (71.3%) 37.8% 12.9%
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WHAT IF YOU GRADUATE AFTER HONOURS?

The skills gained by an Honours graduate include: Communication skills Teamwork and leadership Problem solving and analytical skills Familiarity with SPSS Understanding of research design, data analysis and interpretation !! Project management !! !! !! !! !!

HONOURS IN PSYCHOLOGY

CAREER OPPORTUNTIES WITH A FOURTH YEAR IN PSYCHOLOGY

General roles such as those listed in previous slides, PLUS: ! Basic Research in Psychology
-! Including neuroscience, cognitive science

! Applied Research and Social Policy e.g.

-! Educational Methods -! Health Promotion, Psycho-oncology -! Traffic Accident Research -! Criminology

! Eligibility for provisional registration ! Eligibility to enrol in postgraduate study in Psychology

-! Professional coursework degrees (clinical, organisational, forensic etc) -! Postgraduate research (PhD)
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WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (4+2 PATHWAY)?

HONOURS IN PSYCHOLOGY

BOARD APPROVED INTERNSHIP ! PRIVATE COLLEGES !Australian College of Applied Psychology !College of Professional Practice !Pathways Institute !Others ! THROUGH EMPLOYMENT

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! APPLY FOR A PLACE IN A POSTGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL DEGREE (A MASTERS OR DOCTORATE) HONOURS IN PSYCHOLOGY ! CONSIDER ALL AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES ! APAC website

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Clinical Psychology

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Clinical Neuropsychology

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Organizational Psychology

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Forensic Psychology

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Sports and Exercise Psychology

! Educational / Developmental

SALARY INFORMATION
MASTERS DEGREE (coursework) Salary
! Median salary $66,000

Top 3 occupations
! Legal, Social and Welfare Professional ! Business, Human Resource, Marketing Professional ! Specialist Managers

What do Psychology graduates do after finishing a Masters degree?

! Available for full-time employment ! In further full-time study ! Part-time or casual employment 72.9% (88.1%) 3.6% 16.6%
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WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Master of Teaching (School Psychology/School Counselling) ! Offered by the Faculty of Education

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED (Higher Degree Pathway)?

! Preparation as a school psychologist/counsellor plus teacher ! Starting salaries are high and rising: 2009 $55,458, 2010 $57,565, 2011 $59,752 ! 21 month program
-! First 18 months HECS fees -! Final 3 months (internship) is free

! Provisional registration and supervision (provided by DET NSW on the job if you choose to work for them) you can become a fully registered psychologist in Australia via the new PBA ! Leads to registration, but is not a specialist endorsement pathway

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO DO RESEARCH?

! Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) ! 3 to 4 years full-time research ! Supported by scholarships ! Usually followed by postdoctoral research ! Required for an academic career ! High level research positions in private and public sectors

PhD Destinations
! What do research graduates do? Destinations of some of our recent PhD grads:
Thesis titles and supervisors
An investigation of error management, individual differences, and negative feedback in dynamic task training. Supervised by Prof Sally Andrews

Currently working as
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Macquarie University.

Cognitive complexity. Supervised by Dr Damian Birney

Senior Consultant, Research & Development, Chandler McLeod.

The neural basis of visual feature binding. Supervised by Prof Colin Clifford

Humboldt Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tubingen, Germany.

Responsible gaming messages on simulated electronic gaming machines: impact on recall, cognitions and intent to play. Supervised by Prof Alex Blaszczynski

Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Charles Sturt University; Research Associate, University of Sydney.

SALARY INFORMATION
RESEARCH DEGREE (PhD) Salary
! Median salary $66,000

Top 3 occupations
! Legal, Social and Welfare Professional ! Education Professionals ! Specialist Managers

What do Psychology graduates do after finishing a PhD?

! Available for full-time employment ! In further full-time study ! Part-time or casual employment 71.6% (92.9%) 1.8% 23.4%
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SUMMARY
! Psychology is a diverse discipline ! Broad range of opportunities ! Dependent on your interests and your qualifications
-! Major in Psychology -! Fourth year in Psychology -! Professional postgraduate coursework -! Postgraduate research

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

! What if I dont get a place in honours?

! Research alternative fourth year courses APAC website

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

! What can I do to improve my chances of gaining a place in a professional postgraduate degree?

! Academic merit; experience; interview

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

! How do I find out whether I will like working as a psychologist?

! Look for work experience opportunities both in paid and volunteer positions

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IN FOCUS: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY and RESEARCH

! Sarah Eskandari Registered Psychologist & PhD Candidate School of Psychology

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