The modest impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on training expectations at internship programs offering specialization in neuropsychology.

Objective: Given the decreased clinical training opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to provide insights into how training directors and supervising neuropsychologists from internships offering neuropsychology training adjusted expectations of competitive applicants. Method: Respondents (n = 50) from internships offering at least an "exposure" in neuropsychology completed questions about how training expectations of competitive applicants have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Most respondents reported decreased expectations for clinical hours and research productivity and increased expectations for telehealth experience and involvement in working with culturally diverse populations. Additionally, more than half of respondents from programs at university-affiliated and Veteran Affairs medical centers indicated reduced expectations for average number of integrated reports. Furthermore, compared to respondents at Veteran Affairs medical centers, respondents at university-affiliated medical centers stated decreased expectations for average number of paper presentations. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has motivated subtle changes in expectations of competitive neuropsychology-oriented internship applicants, specific to clinical experience, research productivity, and prioritization of certain application materials. Qualitative responses suggest that many respondents endeavored to improve applicant screening rather than lower expectations for applicants. As a result, consistent with previous recommendations, the importance of fit between trainee and training program should continue to be emphasized by prospective applicants. These findings have important implications for trainees for the next several years, as graduate students at all stages of training ultimately progress to the internship application stage.

A Survey of Doctoral Internships Offering Clinical Neuropsychology Training: Updated Expectations for Competitive Applicants.

OBJECTIVE: The specialty of clinical neuropsychology has experienced significant professional growth and increasing standardization of educational and training guidelines over the past 20 years. Previous literature demonstrated the importance of routine distribution of selection criteria used by training directors and supervising neuropsychologists for competitive applicants aiming to specialize in neuropsychology during internship. This study examined supervisors' updated expectations for competitive applicants from a more diverse sample of doctoral internship programs offering neuropsychological training. These data also provide cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons to help trainees tailor their graduate training experiences. METHOD: The sample included training directors and/or supervising neuropsychologists from 80 internship programs (73.4% of submitted surveys). Spearman correlations, analyses of variance, and chi-square tests of independence were conducted for cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons. RESULTS: Clinical experience in assessment and the personal interview were consistently the two most prioritized criteria across all groups, whereas prioritization of the additional criteria was variable based on the program's characteristics. Internship programs generally preferred practica experience at university-affiliated medical centers, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and private/community-based hospitals. University-affiliated medical centers and internships offering ≥50% neuropsychology training showed similar preferences for applicants with a depth and breadth of graduate school experience in neuropsychology. Longitudinally, the applicant expectations for programs offering ≥50% neuropsychology training remained largely unchanged between 2000 and 2020. CONCLUSIONS: This study updated expectations for competitive applicants from a diverse sample of neuropsychology training programs, underscored the importance of fit between trainee and program, and demonstrated consistency over time for trainees seeking neuropsychology training during internship.

Female Sex as a Protective Factor in the Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use on Verbal Learning and Memory.

OBJECTIVE: The variability of findings in studies examining the effects of chronic cannabis use on neuropsychological functioning highlights the importance of examining contributing factors. Few studies examine the role of sex in the relationship between cannabis and neuropsychological functioning, despite known neurobiological structural differences between males and females. This study examined whether males and females experience differential cognitive effects of chronic cannabis use. METHOD: Chronic cannabis users (3+ days per week for >12 months, n = 110, 72% male) and non-users (n = 71, 39% male) completed a neuropsychological test battery. Two multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) examined for sex differences in performance within users and non-users on neuropsychological tests, controlling for potential confounding variables. Bonferroni corrections were applied to adjust for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Male and female cannabis users did not differ in cannabis use variables. Female cannabis users performed better than males on multiple subtests of the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II), a verbal learning and memory test. Male cannabis users performed better than female users on Trial 1 of the CVLT-II (p = .002), and Trail Making Test B (p = .001), which measure attention and cognitive flexibility, respectively. Non-user males and females performed comparably, with the exception of Trail Making Test B (p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that chronic cannabis use differentially impacts males and females, with females exhibiting better verbal learning and memory despite males demonstrating better attention and cognitive flexibility. Further research is needed to understand the potential protective mechanism of female sex on learning and memory effects of cannabis use.