November 15th, 2022
December 15th, 2022
January 9th & 10th, 2023
August 14th, 2023
Questions regarding the NV-PIC may be directed towards Shera Bradley, Interim Program Director, at dpbhnvpic@health.nv.gov or (702) 486-6646.
Due Process Procedures: For situations in which a supervisor or other faculty member raises a concern about the functioning of a psychology intern. These procedures are a protection of intern rights and are implemented to afford the intern with every reasonable opportunity to remediate problems and to receive support and assistance. These procedures are not intended to be punitive.
For purposes of this document, a problem is defined broadly as an interference in professional functioning which is reflected in one or more of the following ways: 1) an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional standards into one’s repertoire of professional behavior; 2) an inability to acquire professional skills to reach an acceptable level of competency; and/or 3) an inability to control psychological dysfunctions and/or excessive emotional reactions which interfere with professional functioning.
It is a professional judgment as to when an issue becomes problematic rather than a behavior of concern. Intern trainees may exhibit behaviors, attitudes or characteristics that, while of concern and requiring attention, are not unexpected or excessive for professionals in training. Issues typically become identified as problems that require remediation when they include one or more of the following characteristics:
NV-PIC’s Due Process procedure occurs in a step-wise fashion, involving greater levels of intervention as a problem increases in persistence, complexity, or level of disruption to the training program. Faculty roles included herein are defined as follows:
When a supervisor believes that an intern’s behavior is becoming problematic, the first step in addressing the issue should be to raise the issue with the intern directly and as soon as feasible in an attempt to informally resolve the problem. This may include increased supervision, didactic training, and/or structured readings. This process should be documented in writing in supervision notes and discussed with the Training Director and Training Committee, but will not become part of the intern’s professional file.
If an intern’s problem behavior persists following an attempt to resolve the issue informally, or if an intern receives a rating below a “2” on any competency within the first (3-month) supervisory evaluation or below a “3” on any competency on any subsequent supervisory evaluation, the following process is initiated:
This statement will be issued within 10 working days of the decision. The statement will be shared with WICHE Human Resources. At the end of this probation period, the TD will provide a written statement indicating whether or not the problem has been remediated. This statement will become part of the intern’s permanent file and also will be shared with the intern and sent to the Director of Clinical Training at the intern’s graduate institution.
If the intern wishes to challenge the decisions made, he or she may request an Appeals Hearing before a review panel. This request must be made in writing- an email will suffice- to the TD within 10 working days of notification regarding the decision made in step 3 or 4 above. The review panel will consist of three licensed psychologists selected by the Site Directors with recommendations from the Training Director and the intern involved in the issue at hand. These will be licensed psychologists, not on the training committee, who did not directly supervise the intern. The Appeals Hearing will be held within 10 working days of the intern’s request. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The intern has the right to hear all facts with the opportunity to dispute or explain the behavior of concern. The review panel may uphold the decisions made previously or may modify them. The review panel has final discretion regarding outcome.
If either the Acknowledgment Notice or the Probation action occurs, the TD will inform the intern’s sponsoring university within 30 days, indicating the nature of the inadequate rating, the rationale for the action, and the action taken by the faculty. The intern shall receive a copy of the letter to the sponsoring university.
Once the Acknowledgment Notice or Probation is issued by the TD, it is expected that the status of the problem or inadequate rating will be reviewed no later than the next formal evaluation period or, in the case of probation, no later than the time limits identified in the probation statement. If the problem has been rectified to the satisfaction of the faculty and the intern, the sponsoring university and other appropriate individuals will be informed and no further action will be taken.
Grievance Procedures: These guidelines are intended to provide the psychology intern with a means to resolve perceived conflicts. (Staff and faculty complaints about NV-PIC should be communicated to the Training Director and agency HR). Interns who pursue grievances in good faith will not experience any adverse professional consequences. For situations in which an intern raises a grievance about a supervisor, staff member, trainee, or the internship program:
First, the intern should raise the issue as soon as feasible with the involved supervisor, staff member, other trainee, or TD to informally resolve the problem.
If the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved using informal means, the intern may submit a formal grievance in writing to the TD. If the TD is the object of the grievance, the grievance should be submitted to a Site Director. The individual being grieved will be asked to submit a response in writing within 5 working days of receiving the formal grievance. The TD (or other Site Director, if appropriate) will meet with the intern and the individual being grieved within 10 working days. In some cases, the TD or other Site Director may wish to meet with the intern and the individual being grieved separately first. The goal of the joint meeting will be to develop a plan of action to resolve the matter. The plan of action will include:
The TD or other Site Director will document the process and outcome of the meeting. The intern and the individual being grieved will be asked to report back to the TD or other Site Director in writing within 10 working days regarding whether the issue has been adequately resolved.
In situations where the nature of the grievance constitutes a potential violation of the subject of the grievance’s contract with his or her employer agency, the employer agency will be notified in accordance with the policies and procedures of the agency.
If the plan of action fails, the TD or Site Director will convene a review panel consisting of him/herself and at least two other members of the Training Committee within 10 working days. The intern may request a specific member of the Training Committee to serve on the review panel. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The review panel has final discretion regarding outcome.
If the review panel determines that a grievance against an individual cannot be resolved internally or is not appropriate to be resolved internally, then the issue will be turned over to the employer agency of the subject of the grievance to initiate the due process procedures outlined in his or her employment contract. If the review panel determines that the grievance against the individual does not constitute a violation of his or her employment contract and can potentially be resolved internally, the review panel will develop a second action plan that includes the same components as above. The process and outcome of the panel meeting will be documented by the TD or Site Director. The intern and the individual being grieved will be asked to report in writing to the TD or Site Director regarding whether the issue has been adequately resolved within 10 working days. The panel will reconvene within 10 working days of receiving the intern’s and individual’s report to again review written documentation and determine whether the issue has been adequately resolved. If the issue is not resolved by the second meeting of the panel, the issue will be turned over to the employer agency to initiate the due process procedures outlined in the employment contract.
*Live document subject to change