Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)

How to Apply

Application procedures differ by discipline. Click on a discipline for specific application instructions.

• Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
• Nursing
  
• Nutrition
  
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Pediatricians wishing to participate in the LEND program as long-term trainees must apply for a position in the 3-year developmental-behavioral pediatric fellowship training program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. For more Information on this fellowship program, please see the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship page.

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Nursing

Ideal candidates for the nursing fellowship position are usually those who have completed a masters program in pediatric or family nursing or are post-masters or doctoral students who are interested in the fellowship as a way to develop specialization in working with children with developmental disabilities and chronic health conditions. Due to requirements of most nursing master's programs (which are full time and include clinical rotations under the direction of a faculty supervisor), nurses are usually unable to do the fellowship as part of their masters degree program. Candidates are recruited from local graduate level nursing programs including:

• University of Pennsylvania
• Drexel University
• Widener University
• University of Delaware

Nursing fellows make a significant contribution to the LEND team by bringing their clinical skills in nursing assessment (physical and psychosocial) as well expertise in clinical critical thinking which is a major part of their education. They can also offer expertise in-patient and family education and care coordination that is also an integral part of their graduate training.

Candidates submit (mail or e-mail) a letter of interest and CV to Phyllis Slutsky, RN. A preliminary interview is conducted in person or by phone to establish interests and qualifications. After the interview, successful candidates will receive the official LEND application forms from Sarah Yerkes, LEND Program Manager, and will submit the completed forms and letters of recommendation to the LEND office at 3550 Market Street, Suite 3033B, Philadelphia, PA.

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Nutrition

Positions for LEND candidates in the discipline of nutrition are available at two educational levels:

• Pre-doctoral with a master's degree in nutrition or highly related field
• Post-doctoral with a PhD in nutrition or highly related field

Candidates submit (mail or e-mail) a letter of interest and CV to Virginia Stallings, MD, stallingsv@email.chop.edu or mail to:

Virginia Stallings, MD
34th & Civic Center Boulevard
Abramson Research Center, Room 139
Philadelphia, PA 19104

A preliminary interview is conducted in person or by phone to establish interests and qualifications. After the interview, successful candidates will receive the official LEND application forms from Sarah Yerkes, LEND Program Manager and will submit the completed form and letters of recommendation to Dr. Stallings and to the LEND office at 3550 Market Street, Suite 3033B, Philadelphia, PA.

Candidates may be accepted any time during the year, however July/August/September start dates are desirable. Positions are offered for one year, with the possibility of a one-year renewal. Rarely, a candidate will be considered for a training period of less that one year.

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Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy Department advertises for its LEND Fellows in Occupational Therapy in a variety of ways. Our goal is to search for an Occupational Therapist who has an interest in continued learning and research in a variety of areas within Occupational Therapy and related fields. Frequently, these OT LEND fellows are considered an OT I, recently out of school. However, we do consider Occupational Therapists who do have more experience if they are interested in the LEND position to further enhance their clinical and professional growth and development. The OT LEND fellow has 23 percent of his/her time devoted to the LEND program and 77 percent of his/her time devoted to the Occupational Therapy department as a treating therapist. We offer positions in a variety of areas, including outpatient, acute care and rehabilitation based on the needs of the Occupational Therapy Department, the LEND program and the applicants strengths and interests.

Positions are posted online at www.chop.edu/careers. Correspondence should be sent to the Human Resources Department. Candidates must submit a letter of interest, CV, academic transcripts, a two letters of recommendation and an example of scholarly work.

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Physical Therapy

Candidates interested in a fellowship position should apply online at www.chop.edu/careers. Please include a contact number. Correspondence should be sent to the Human Resources Department. Candidates must submit a letter of interest, CV, academic transcripts, two letters of recommendation and an example of scholarly work. All fellowship positions require an entry-level degree in physical therapy (Bachelors Degree, Certificate of Proficiency, Masters Degree, or Doctorate). Pediatric experience either through clinical affiliation or prior employment is desired. Candidates must possess a Physical Therapy license or temporary license from the State of Pennsylvania.

Services include patient examination, evaluation, intervention, documentation, parent education, communication and coordination with medical and allied medical staff. Actively participates in departmental education activities, (physical therapy residency programs). The PT LEND fellow has 23 percent of his/her time devoted to the LEND program and 77 percent of his/her time devoted to the Physical Therapy department as a treating therapist.

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Psychology

In screening applicants, a high priority is placed on selecting candidates who intend to pursue an academic career integrating research and practice. Preference is given to the applicant who is enrolled as an advanced doctoral program approved by the American Psychological Association (APA). By the beginning of the Internship, applicants should have their coursework completed as well as 1200 hours or more of supervised clerkship, externship or practicum training. It is required that applicants will have completed all major coursework requirements and qualifying examinations for their PhD or PsyD degree and have only the dissertation requirement to meet when beginning the Internship.

The interested applicant should submit the following:

• A cover letter indicating your primary and secondary interest from among the following: Pediatric Psychology, School/Community Psychology, Neuropsychology, and Early Childhood Psychology.
• A copy of the applicant's most recent CV.
• A completed APPIC application form.
• An APPIC Verification of Eligibility form signed by the Director of Training of the candidate's graduate school training program endorsing the candidate's readiness for Internship training.
• Three letters of recommendation from academic and/or work supervisors (if the applicant wishes to include an additional letter that is acceptable, however, three is the only requirement).
• Two written work samples, preferably one assessment report and one treatment-related document.
• Transcripts of all graduate level coursework.

Application materials should be forwarded to: Psychology Internship Training Program Children's Seashore House Room 021 TheChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia
3405 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4388

Questions can be addressed via e-mail to: psychologytraining@email.chop.edu.

Subsequent to faculty review of each completed application, we will invite selected applicants for an on-site interview. On-site interviews will be held throughout the month of January. If an on-site interview is not feasible or affordable for an invited candidate, a telephone interview will be arranged. Interview notification date will be mid-December; all applicants will be notified of their application status via email by this date. Interview day includes a morning reception with presentations outlining the Psychology department, the internship, and additional requirements. Candidates will receive a tour and lunch with the current intern class. Each candidate will have two interviews followed by a wrap-up question and answer session. Meeting specific area supervisors is attempted if an applicant has a specific area of interest and would like to meet with the supervisor. However, if that is not possible on interview day, telephone and email information will be provided to ensure contact is possible.

Each completed application is reviewed and discussed by the Psychology Training Advisory Committee. Interns are selected according to the procedures set forth by the Association of Psychology Post-doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). By the beginning of February, applicants will be ranked and a rank order list will be submitted to the Internship Matching Program. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

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Speech-Language Pathology

Applicants must have completed a Masters degree program in Speech-Language Pathology and be eligible to begin the ASHA Clinical Fellowship. Positions are posted online at www.chop.edu/careers.

To apply, interested candidates must submit a letter of interest, resume, two written samples of clinical reports, three letters of recommendations from academic or clinical supervisors, and an official transcript from their Masters program for consideration. Correspondence should be sent to the Human Resources Department.

The Speech Lend Fellow has 23 percent of his/her time devoted to LEND and 77 percent devoted to the Speech Language Department.

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