All PsyD applicants and enrolled PsyD students are required to meet health and technical standards to be admitted to, participate in, and graduate from the PsyD program at KCU. Because the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology signifies that the holder is a psychologist prepared for entry into the practice of a broad range of psychological practices, and that he/she/they has met the requirements to enter a variety of diverse postgraduate training programs, KCU graduates must have the knowledge, skill, and capability to fully perform and function in a broad variety of clinical situations. KCU students and graduates are trained and must demonstrate competency to provide a wide spectrum of acute and chronic patient care.

A candidate, as well as an enrolled student for the PsyD, must have abilities and skills in the areas described below and meet the standards described as an obligation to patients that they will interact with as a psychologist in training and to society as the recipient of a PsyD degree upon graduation.

Reasonable accommodations will be made as required by law; however, the candidate/student must be able to meet all technical standards with or without reasonable accommodation. Please refer to the section on the Americans with Disabilities Act for additional information. The use of a trained intermediary necessarily requires that a candidate’s judgment be mediated by someone else’s power of selection and observation and is not a permissible accommodation.

Students who are unable to meet these standards (i.e., a student’s interactions or performance is incongruent with the Health and Technical Standards) may be recommended for assessment of their abilities, remediation, or may be dismissed from the program. PsyD faculty, supervisors, or the Director of Clinical Training can refer a student to the PsyD-SPC for an inability to meet these standards. Formal assessment of the Health and Technical Standards is unique to student circumstances and the PsyD-SPC will identify an appropriate assessment that will examine a student’s ability to meet these standards in the needed context. Based on assessment, the PsyD-SPC will make a determination regarding the need for a remediation plan, support, and ongoing assessment as needed. In some cases, the PsyD-SPC may determine that the student is unable to meet the standards in a way that protects clients and ensures competence, in which case the student may be dismissed from the program.

Observation

Psychological diagnosis is based upon a psychologist’s ability to see, hear and interact with patients. Candidates and enrolled students must be able to directly observe patients in order to diagnose. Direct observation of body stature, body position and facial expression are a few examples of the necessary capabilities a student must have to master the requirement of psychological diagnosis. Candidates must be able to observe demonstrations, experiments and patients in the basic and clinical sciences. This includes but is not limited to the ability to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation requires the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensations. Thus, the use of a trained intermediary will fail to meet this requirement.

Communication

Candidates and enrolled students must be able to speak, hear and observe patients in order to elicit information; describe changes in mood, activity and posture; and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients and other health care professionals. Communication includes speech, hearing, reading and writing. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively in verbal and written form with all members of the health care team. Thus, the use of a trained intermediary, especially in an emergency situation, will fail to meet this requirement.

Conceptual, Integrative & Quantitative Abilities

Candidates and enrolled students must possess conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities, including measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of psychologists, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, candidates must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationship of structures. Candidates and enrolled students must be able to sit in a classroom and participate in a full 10-hour day. The practice of psychology requires periods of distinct concentration in intake, therapy and assessment settings. Candidates and enrolled students must be capable of extended periods of intense concentration and attention. Candidates and enrolled student physicians who are incapable of intense concentration (with or without reasonable accommodations) do not meet this requirement.

Behavior & Social Attributes

Candidates and enrolled students must have the emotional health required for full use of the intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the assessment and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Candidates and enrolled students must be able to tolerate physically and mentally taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the admission and educational processes.