VA Chicago Health Care System
(Note: facility name will change to Jesse Brown VA Medical Center effective 5-25-04)

Clinical Psychology Internship

Interview Information

Last Updated: March 2004

Interview Format

Note that in-person interviews are required; no telephone interviews are accepted. Interviews last a half-day. If you have a morning interview, you will be here from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you have an afternoon interview, you will be here from 12:00 to 4:30 p.m. During the interview, applicants will:
· First meet with the Director of Training and the other applicants, as a group, to answer general questions. Schedules for the half-day are provided during this meeting.
· Have a tour of the medical center with current interns,
· Meet individually with the Director of Training,
· Meet with two or three other psychology staff members, and
· Visit informally with current interns; refreshments will be provided.
Out-of-state applicants can be accommodated in choice of interview dates as needed. However, interviews that are not on scheduled interview dates may be limited to the training director and one or two staff supervisors. The VA Chicago Health Care System Psychology Internship abides by APPIC Match Policies. See www.appic.org for these policies. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any rank-related information from any intern prior to Uniform Notification Day.

Accessibility Information

VA Chicago is committed to providing access for all people with disabilities. The VA is fully handicapped-accessible. We will endeavor to provide accommodations during the interview process, when a person with a disability has made such a request. Please be aware that the wheels of the federal government turn very slowly, despite our best efforts. So, to maximize our ability to accommodate you, please let us know of any need for accommodation immediately upon being notified of your interview with the VA.

Interview Dates

For 2005, these are the most likely interview dates (subject to change):
General track interviews: the first and second week in January, between the 3rd and the 14th.
Health Psychology interviews: two Fridays in January, perhaps the 14th and the 21th.
Neuropsychology interviews: three Tuesdays during January, probably the 11th, the 18th and the 25th.

Match information

Information from APPIC about the computer match is available at: www.appic.org. Information from National Matching Service about the computer match is available at: www.natmatch.com.

Getting to Chicago by Air

Information about airfare discounts negotiated by APPIC is available on their web site: www.appic.org. As you may know, the coldest Chicago weather is usually in early January, just when you will be interviewing, so be sure and bring lots of warm clothes if you are coming from out of town. Check the weather report to see if you should include boots appropriate for negotiating snow and ice. Allow plenty of time for flight delays coming in at that time of year.

You may wish to check into using Southwest Airlines. They have very inexpensive flights and they have historically had a policy that if you need to cancel, the entire amount can be applied to future travel (check to be sure this still applies!).

Street Address

The VA is located at 820 S. Damen Avenue, which is just south of the Damen exit of the Eisenhower expressway (I-290). You can reach the VA by either public transportation or by car. A map is available at: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?addtohistory=&country=US&address=820+south+damen&city=chicago&state=il&zipcode=&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Getting to the VA by Public Transportation

The VA is near the Polk stop of the Blue Line of the rapid transit system. Be sure you get on a train that says 54/Cermak on it. DO NOT get on a Forest Park train. When you get off at Polk, exit the station, turn left and walk west about 4 blocks on Polk to Damen. The VA will be across Damen and to your left.
Visitors can buy passes that allow unlimited rides on both buses and trains in Chicago for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. You can buy these passes at the train stations at the airports only. You can usually get public transportation maps of the city at the airport train stations (they may or may not be available at other stations). See the Chicago Transit Authority web site, www.transitchicago.com or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA for further details. Using public transportation would be a little more time consuming than renting a car or taking cabs, but it would be a tiny fraction of the cost.
Both O'Hare and Midway airports are served directly by public transportation train lines. In fact, O'Hare and the VA are served by the same line, the Blue Line. You can access all the listed hotels by public transportation, also. When flying out of O'Hare or Midway, you can get there on public transportation from the VA in about an hour, so if you want to fly out the same day you interview, you can book a flight that leaves as soon as 4 hours after your last interview time. We can store your bags for you during your interview, if that would be helpful; just bring them along with you.

Getting to the VA by Car

Driving in on I-290 from the east (from the Loop or from I-90/I-94)

Take I-290 west a couple of exits from the Loop, then exit at Damen. At the light at the top of the ramp, turn left onto Damen. Go south on Damen about 3 blocks. You will see the VA on the right.

Driving in on I-290 from the west

Damen is 2000W (by Chicago street numbers) so you can keep track of how far you have to go by that. Get off at the Damen exit. At the light at the top of the ramp, turn right on Damen. Go south on Damen about two blocks. You will see the VA on the right.

Parking

Parking in this area is very limited. The VA has a parking garage. Last year, we were able to get discounted parking for $2 for internship interviews. To get to this garage, turn right on Taylor just after passing the front of the VA on Damen. Check with us closer to the date of your interview to be sure discounted parking at the VA garage is still available. Another alternative that we recommend is to park in the parking garage at Hamilton and Roosevelt Rd. It costs $2. To get to the parking garage, continue driving south on Damen, past the VA a few blocks to Roosevelt Road; this is a large intersection with a traffic light. Turn right, then look for a large white parking structure on the right at Hamilton.

Getting to the VA by Taxi

Where to go at the VA

The VA is a large 10-story red brick building occupying a whole block of Damen between Polk and Taylor streets. Go in the entrance facing Damen, marked "Main Entrance." It has the large white metal canopy over it. Go straight through all the automatic and revolving doors. Then turn left into the Atrium. Opposite Clinic C (on the left) will be a hallway on your right. Go into that hall and up the elevators to the 5th floor. Follow the signs to the Psychology Service. Meet in the Psychology Conference Room, 5328.

Hotel Information

Note: This information was last updated in March, 2004.
Next update will be posted in December, 2004.

The following hotels have been recommended by Psychology staff. We have negotiated reduced rates in some cases, as marked.
Quality Inn One Mid City Plaza at Madison & Halsted St., (312) 829-5000 or 1-800-228-5151
Ask for Hospital Rate of $89, which is based upon availability of rooms.
COMMENT: This hotel is in Greektown, about 2 miles away from the VA, a short ride on public transportation.
The Majestic Hotel, 528 W. Brompton Ave., Chicago, IL, (773) 404-3499
Winter Special Rate of $89 plus tax per night.
COMMENT: This is a very nice little hotel on the North side of Chicago, the area of the city that most interns live in. This neighborhood has many interesting stores, restaurants, etc. It is relatively safe to walk alone at night in this neighborhood; use standard precautions of course. You can get to the VA from here on public transportation in about an hour. Also, about 1 hour transit time to airports (allow plenty of time, of course, for check-in and so on).
City Suites Hotel Chicago, 933 W. Belmont Ave., (1 Block from Clark St.), (773) 404-3400.
Rates vary depending on availability.
COMMENT: Another very nice little North side hotel. Same comments.

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