Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology
Program Overview
The Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology provides training to prepare doctoral students for professional practice as psychologists in health service settings. We employ a competency-based approach to education and training that focuses on biological, psychological, social, and cultural aspects of health and behavior.
For the 2025-2026 training year, 8 internship positions are available across three tracks to meet the training goals of interns interested in clinical child and pediatric psychology
- The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Track emphasizes training in integrated pediatric primary care psychology. Interns are placed in community-based, integrated pediatric primary care settings and hospital-based specialty care settings, where they integrate evidence-based psychological services within primary care and other clinics that comprise the medical home. IBH interns also participate in common training experiences in outpatient psychotherapy, psychological testing and early childhood or autism intervention.
Number of Intern Positions: 3
- The Pediatric Psychology (PP) Track has a particular focus on serving children/adolescents and families experiencing medical illness, somatic symptoms and/or hospitalization. Interns train in hospital-based, medical inpatient and outpatient specialty care settings, with a focus on using evidence-based approaches to address psychosocial challenges and to support medical coping. Interns on the pediatric psychology track also participate in minor rotations, as well as common training experiences in outpatient psychotherapy, psychological testing and early childhood or autism intervention.
Number of Intern Positions: 4
- The Clinical Child & Community (CCC) Track provides training in clinical child and adolescent psychology in multiple settings, with a focus on referrals from the surrounding community. Interns are placed in outpatient specialty care settings, integrated pediatric primary care and school-based health centers. Interns on this track participate in minor rotations, as well as common training experiences in outpatient psychotherapy, psychological testing, and early childhood or autism intervention
Number of Intern Positions: 1
Accredited By
American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
750 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 336-5979
- Curriculum
- Salary & Benefits
- Location & Living
- Faculty & Participants
Training Program Details
Please see ourtraining brochurefor full details about our program’s aims and competencies, clinical rotations, didactic and professional development curriculum, training faculty and life in the greater Wilmington/Philadelphia area.
Please see our internship admission, support and initial placement data for admission information, stipends/benefits and initial post-internship positions for our three preceding cohorts.
Salary & Benefits
The minimum stipend for all interns is $43,888 for the 2025-2026 training year. Interns are also provided a generous benefits package, including:
- 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO), which can be used flexibly for vacation, sick leave, fellowship/job interviews and graduation
- Five Educational Leave days for dissertation defense, conference attendance and other professional development activities
- One day of volunteer time off for an approved activity
- Subsidized health insurance
- Six paid holidays
- Free on-site parking
- Options for prescription medication coverage
- Options for dental and vision insurance
- Retirement annuity programs
- Employer-paid short-term disability
- Basic life insurance and A&D
- Voluntary additional life insurance and/or AD&D
- Voluntary long-term disability
- Flexible spending accounts for health, dependent care and/or transportation
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Wellness program
- Financial education program
The ֲý Child Development Center is the hospital’s on-site child care facility (NAEYC-accredited) and provides high-quality child care, prekindergarten and kindergarten, as well as before-/after-care, drop-in care and summer camp. Interns are welcome to use the hospital’s medical library and can join the hospital’s Fitness Center for free.
Interns have access to support personnel, including our GME coordinator, numerous other full-time psychology/psychiatry administrative staff, check-in/check-out billing liaisons, medical assistants, psychometrists, insurance verification specialists and medical transcriptionists. Support staff aid in scheduling patients, obtaining authorizations, patient check-in/check-out and other clerical work. There are also personnel to assist with hospital-based research project protocols, statistical consultation for hospital-based projects, poster preparation and editing and review tasks. Finally, there is computer/technological support available on a daily basis including computerized administration and scoring for many of our testing batteries.
About Our Hospital in Delaware
The ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware is a multispecialty, tertiary care teaching institution located on a 300-acre estate in the scenic Brandywine Valley in Wilmington, Del.
Among the hospital’s amenities for all staff are:
- Free parking
- Park-like setting
- Gym/fitness center
- On-site child care center for children of staff
Living in Delaware Valley
Because of our location in the tri-state area of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we offer unique living/working opportunities. For example, you can choose to live in the downtown Philadelphia area and easily commute to our park-like hospital campus in Wilmington.
Train With Recognized Leaders
If you’re looking for a rewarding program built on academic excellence and family-centered care, ֲý offers outstanding medical, surgical, pharmacy, nursing, therapy and psychology programs. Train with faculty who are respected leaders in their fields, a patient care model that stands apart and access to groundbreaking research.
Apply Today
Application Requirements
Deadline:November 1, 2024
Materials Required
Our training program requires the AAPI Online, which is available through or at . Your online application should include:
- Cover letter that discusses your interest in our program and the fit between our program and your experiences and training goals. Please also indicate if you are interested in more than one of our tracks or one track in particular. (See below under A Note About Tracks).
- Curriculum Vitae
- AAPI itself (which includes essays and the DCT's verification of eligibility and readiness)
- All graduate transcripts.
- Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from supervisors familiar with your clinical work.
Note: We do not require supplemental application materials beyond what is listed above.
A Note About Tracks and the Application Process
It is helpful to us when applicants indicate interest in one (or more) of our tracks at the time of initial application, but doing so does not commit an applicant. Many applicants are interested in more than one track, and we do not view this as problematic in any way. Applicants who are invited to interview are asked to indicate at the end of the interview day, after hearing in detail about our program, which track(s) they wish to be considered for when our rankings are submitted.
Application Deadline
Applications are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, November 1, 2024. Interview offers will be extended by email on or before November 25, 2024, and all applicants will be notified of their status by December 6, 2024 at the very latest.
Interviews
Interviews will be held virtually.Interview dates for the upcoming year are:
- Monday, December 9, 2024
- Friday, December 13, 2024
- Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Additional interview date may be added in December 2024 or January 2025 if needed.
The virtual interview day consists of general orientation, video "tour", opportunities to meet with current residents and fellows, and three individual faculty interviews.
For applicants who indicate Spanish language fluency, a portion of the interviews will be conducted in Spanish.
Questions About Applying?
Kira Branch, PsyD
Director of Doctoral Internship Training
(302) 651-4500
kira.branch@nemours.org
(email is the preferred method of contact)
Joanna smith, PhD
Associate Director of Doctoral Internship Training
(302) 651-4500
joanna.smith@nemours.org
(email is the preferred method of contact)