Jessica L. Kohout

Minority students of color and the psychology graduate pipeline: disquieting and encouraging trends, 1989-2003.

Trends since 1989 in the minority graduate pipeline in psychology are examined, with special focus on trends in recent years. Encouraging trends generally outweigh troubling ones at lower levels of the pipeline. However, in recent years disquieting trends dominate at the higher pipeline levels. Promising trends include a rise in the percentage (to nearly 25%) of minority psychology students receiving the bachelors degree and a rise to more than 20% receiving the masters degree. Troubling trends include the stalling of growth in minority PhD degree receipt since 1999 and the lack of growth in the percentage of African American and Hispanic/Latino(a) students entering PhD departments. Given the mixed findings, one of the highest priorities for psychology must be continued and persistent efforts to develop practices and policies that enhance recruitment, high levels of achievement, and degree receipt for students of color.

Graduate study in psychology: 1971-2004.

This article traces the evolution of graduate study in psychology in the United States and Canada during the past 3 decades. The authors summarize the 2003-2004 characteristics of graduate programs and departments in psychology and compare these data to those obtained in 1970-1971, 1979-1980, and 1992-1993. The most recent data were obtained from the 2005 edition of Graduate Study in Psychology and were based on 495 institutions, 601 departments, and 1,970 graduate programs. Information is presented for both entire departments (e.g., faculty characteristics, student profiles, admission criteria, Graduate Record Examination and grade point averages, tuition costs, financial assistance) and individual graduate programs (e.g., areas of study, number of applicants, acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, retention rates). Particular attention is devoted to the emergence of PsyD programs in professional psychology, the ascendancy of neuroscience programs in academic psychology, and the steady rise in acceptance rates across programs over the past 33 years.

Results from a National Survey of Psychologists in Medical School Settings—2003

Preliminary results are presented from a 2003 collaborative survey of psychologists employed in medical schools and academic health centers. The findings are reported along with comparable data from a similar survey conducted in 1997. There were several noteworthy changes in results from 1997 to 2003. Salaries increased substantially at all ranks, though women’s earnings remain lower than men’s. There were increases in the percentage of respondents who completed their doctorates 20 or more years ago, and in the percentages holding higher academic ranks and having tenure. However, there was a decrease in the absolute number and percentage of psychologists at lower ranks who received their doctorates recently. Overall, the findings indicate that psychologists have established a secure home in medical school settings. Future reports will present more detailed analyses of the 2003 dataset as well as additional comparisons with the 1997 survey data.

The State of the Psychology Health Service Provider Workforce.

Numerous efforts to describe the health service provider or clinical workforce in psychology have been conducted during the past 30 years. The American Psychological Association (APA) has studied trends in the doctoral education pathway and the resultant effects on the broader psychology workforce. During this period, the creation and growth of the PsyD degree and the formalization of the predoctoral internship placement system (the APPIC Match) have been well noted, but efforts to gain a complete understanding of professional practice are lacking. Specifically, piecemeal research on the provider workforce has led to the study of specific subpopulations using varying approaches and definitions of those providing direct clinical service. Consequently, estimates of the supply and need for health service providers are distinctly divergent and generate protracted debate in organized psychology. The APA membership directory and the APA Doctorate Employment Surveys have traditionally been relied on for workforce analyses. Yet, these data have become characterized by limited generalizability in recent years because of declining survey response rates and the fact that APA member data may not be as representative of the entire psychology health service provider population as they were previously. The 2008 APA Survey of Psychology Health Service Providers targeted these limitations by including nonmember psychologists in the sampling frame. Results revealed emerging themes in the demographics, work settings, and delivery of health services of the psychology health service provider workforce. Future areas of research for APA and organized psychology to undertake in addressing need and demand are suggested.

Gender Differences in Employment and Salaries of Psychologists Within Medical School Settings

A survey of 3,894 psychologists employed within medical schools and academic health centers was conducted in 1997 by the Research Office of the American Psychological Association (APA) in collaboration with the Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP). This survey, published as the 1997 Employment Characteristics and Salaries of Medical School Psychologists, included inquiries about various aspects of employment (e.g., academic rank, tenure status, employment activities, appointment characteristics, department affiliations, demographic characteristics) and earnings. Employment characteristics and salary information were compared by gender. The findings indicated that men had more favorable employment circumstances and higher base salaries than their female counterparts. These differences existed across all academic ranks and were found at each level of experience. This article discusses these findings and their implications.

Psychologists in Medical Schools in 1997. Research Brief.

The activities, income, and medical staff membership and limitations on that membership for psychologists working in U.S. medical school settings in 1997 were examined. A total of 1,938 psychologists responded to a survey conducted by the Research Office of the American Psychological Association, in conjunction with the Association of Medical School Psychologists. Some of the most salient findings were that (a) the largest number of psychologists was involved in research activities, (b) just over half of medical school psychologists were required to generate all or part of their own income through clinical work and research, and (c) the majority of these psychologists were members of a medical staff but were not extended full medical staff privileges. These and other results are discussed in the context of academic rank, tenure status, and other relevant factors.

Contemporary Employment in Psychology and Future Trends

How are new psychology doctorates faring when seeking their first professional position? What are the criteria by which applicants are judged? Is there any point to trying to get a job in academe? Are practice jobs easier to come by? What about consulting? In this chapter, we will use a number of data sources to answer questions like these regarding employment in psychology. Using data from the biennial APA Doctorate Employment Surveys, as well as data from the National Science Foundation and the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, we will sketch a picture of the current employment situation for doctoral-level psychologists in the United States. Data will be presented on employment settings, salaries, perceptions of the marketplace, time to employment and any changes in these over time.

Employment and Trends in Psychology

In 2003 Barker and Kohout assembled a chapter for the previous version of Portable Mentorthat considered the following questions. How are new psychology doctorates faring when seeking their first professional position? What are the criteria by which applicants are judged? Is there any point to trying to get a job in academe? Are practice jobs easier to come by? What about consulting? The authors relied upon a variety of data sources to answer these questions. This update will rely on similar sources, with a focus on secondary data. Among these are a number of surveys published by the American Psychological Association (APA): the biennial APA Doctorate Employment Survey(DES), Salaries in Psychology, Faculty Salaries in Graduate Departments of Psychology, and the 2008 APA Survey of Psychology Health Service Providers(Michalski, Mulvey, & Kohout, 2010). Other sources include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Department of Education, and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The goal of this chapter is to sketch a picture of the employment situation for psychology doctorates in the USA. To do this, we address demographics, employment status, employment settings and positions, salaries, perceptions of the marketplace, time to employment, and any changes in these over time among new doctorates, as data permit. This is followed by information on challenges, opportunities, and trends in the field.