About the Externship
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (SCHC) offers a year-long psychology externship program for doctoral students seeking training in child and pediatric psychology. SCHC is a 188-bed children’s hospital located in north Philadelphia, and provides outpatient support within primary care and several other specialties. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with interdisciplinary teams to provide support for patients and their families.
The externship program currently offers two tracks.
Track One - Integrate Care
This practicum track supports work within the outpatient gastroenterology. The outpatient specialty care offices at SCHC are patient-centered medical homes that care for newborns to young adults. The SCHC clinics use a multidisciplinary approach to patient care including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, care coordinators, social workers, dieticians, psychologists, and community health workers.
Students will work with this interdisciplinary group of clinicians through a consultative model to address a range of referral concerns including adherence, lifestyle changes, and support for caregivers as they navigate the community behavioral health and educational systems. During this rotation, students will have the opportunity to provide brief, solution-focused interventions within a medical setting. This is a one-day rotation with required availability on Wednesdays.
Track Two - NICU Follow-Up Ambulatory Clinic
This practicum track will allow students to engage in brief, targeted developmental assessments within the Next Steps NICU Follow-Up Clinic using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (4th Edition). In addition, students may have the opportunity to complete additional hours within this rotation that would include brief autism assessments depending on supervision schedules. Students are required to have availability on Thursdays. Additional hours will be coordinated between student and supervisor schedule.
Additional Opportunities
Students may have the opportunity to support ongoing research projects, or shadow supervisors in other clinics. This is dependent on coordination of schedules, as well as student and supervisor interest.
Students will be expected to attend weekly individual supervision. There are opportunities for students to participate in didactic and clinical experiences with other psychology practicum students and a group of interdisciplinary learners (pediatric residents, psychiatry fellows, medical students). Interested students can participate in the development and delivery of didactic or training experiences for other learners. If a supervisor is unable to cover the rotation on the scheduled day, students may have the opportunity to shadow other clinic experiences.
About the Externship Site
- Program Director: Nicole McKelvey, PsyD, Nicole.mckelvey@towerhealth.org
- Supervisors: Brigid Garvin, PhD, NCSP, LBS; Nicole McKelvey, PsyD; Erin McCurdy, PhD, BCBA-D; Ellie Brady, PsyD
- Length of externship (in months): Nine to twelve months
- Start date: End of July
- End date: End of July, flexible
- How many hours a week are expected of extern? 8 hours; required hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each scheduled day
- Minimum level of readiness: Must have comprehensive assessment and report writing experience; Applicants should have a knowledge of evidence-based intervention and therapeutic approaches for working with children and families.
- Preferences: Third-year practicum or higher - The NICU Follow up Ambulatory Clinic rotation prefers a fourth-year practicum or higher. Please note that this rotation still requires the use of masks when engaging in direct patient care.
Interviews
Interviews are expected to begin January 2026. Please submit the following application materials to be considered for an externship:
- Cover letter – Please identify which track you are applying for. You can apply for both tracks, but will only be considered as an applicant for the tracks you identify.
- Curriculum Vitae.
- Two letters of recommendation sent directly to StChrisPsychology@towerhealth.org – please have the supervisor include the applicant’s name in the subject.
- Externship Application Cover Letter available upon request.
- A deidentified psychological report.