Postgraduate Organisational Psychology

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Postgraduate Organisational Psychology

• Selina Fothergill
• Michelle Tucker
• 07/04/06

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Outline

• My PhD
• Org Psych areas
• PhD or Masters
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Choosing which program
• Things I wish I knew before I started
• A great experience

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Selinas PhD

• Conflict resolution and workload in complex
  dynamic environments (ATC)
• Industry based research
• Work in a team
• 4 studies
• My time is divided into
• - Research - Coursework
• - Pracs - Tutoring

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Michelles PhD

• Multilevel Analysis of Occupational Stress
• The effects of individual group level variables
  on employee well-being.
• Questionnaire (1 big longitudinal study)
• Individual work
• My principal supervisor is outside Org Psych area
• You may need to consider this if you really want
  to do a PhD. Many Social and some Clinical
  supervisors will take on org PhDs if they have
  an interest in the topic area.

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Other Org Psych jobs and research areas

• Recruitment/Selection
• Training
• Organisational Change
• Job Design
• Executive Coaching
• Statistical/Analysis Skills
• Leadership research
• Psychometric and test development/administration
• Personality

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To PhD or Masters
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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How to choose

• If you would like to work exclusively in
  industry, become a Psychologist quickly, are not
  as interested in research, have concerns about
  finding a supervisor or getting a high honours
  grade
• gt Masters
• If you are interested in research, are willing to
  see the PhD through to completion, have a high
  honours grade, can find a supervisor willing to
  take you on and have a real interest in a topic
• gt PhD

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The best fit

• I really think its about finding the best path
  to fit the person
• I would choose the postgraduate program that best
  fits with you and what you want out of your
  career in Psychology

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Things I wish I knew before I started

• It can take ages you need to keep on track
• It is really important to find a way to motivate
  yourself over this time as it is very independent
• Set goals!
• It is very easy to get distracted by tutoring,
  pracs and coursework so that your PhD suffers. It
  has to be your number 1 priority
• There is limited desk/office space and limited
  computers in the faculty

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Things I wish I knew before I started

• Things will go wrong and eat up your time (e.g.,
  access to organisations, results, change of
  topic/supervisor)
• The analyses and statistics required are largely
  an independent process. Plan your analyses prior
  to collecting the data.
• The confirmation process can be very long and
  take up a lot of time (and then you may not get
  confirmed)
• Dealing with the graduate school admin

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Things I wish I knew before I started

• Getting your PhD passed is not easy (markers can
  ask for revisions, an entirely new study,
  recommend it for a masters or just plain not like
  it)
• Publishing is not only difficult but very time
  consuming (e.g., waiting for reviewers to get
  back to you)
• Your non-PhD life will still continue as usual
  and will probably interfere with your progress
  now and again
• You will put on at least 5kg per year regardless
  of how many times you visit the gym (Source
  Anonymous PhD student, 2006)

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However it can be a really great experience

• I personally have found it very rewarding and
  enjoyable
• The postgrad network has been very supportive
  leading to good friendships
• I have a real interest in the research
• It has been great to be exposed to other research
  that goes on (seminars, conferences, talking to
  academics)
• I have developed a clearer idea of what I want
  out of my career and which direction I want to go
  in

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The Fun Stuff they dont tell you about.
PAPERWORK!

• Gaining registration as a psychologist involves
  lots of paperwork.
• 1st You need to register provisionally with the
  psychologists board of Qld. Website
  www.psychologyboard.qld.gov.au/
• 2nd You have to fill out a planned supervised
  practice plan.
• 3rd The set of 6 competencies you must be
  trained in, through courses and prac work, needs
  to be documented and then signed off by the prac
  officer.
• 4th All supervision hours and PhD/MOP
  dissertation hours must be logged.

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Paperwork contd

• Then- when you enrol in a prac
• You need to fill out a supervision form
• You need to log every hour of work you do
• You need to log every hour of supervision you get
• You (and your supervisors) need to fill out
  mid-point and final reviews
• You have to hand in a folio of work
• Sound Painful? Well it is. Doing the pracs
  themselves are thankfully, more enjoyable well
  sometimes anyway ?

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Practicum Placements

• Usually involve working for an organisation for
  free in a work experience situation. Paid pracs
  are very rare.
• You will have to do anywhere between 3-6 pracs,
  but usually we do 4 pracs at about 250hrs each.
• You have to choose your pracs very carefully, as
  they have to cover all 6 of your competency
  areas.
• We have a prac placement officer who helps us to
  find suitable pracs.

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What do we do on Prac?
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Thankyou for your attention ?