Who is it for?
When it comes to the definition of “Direct Transfer”, it has been agreed nationally that this refers to a period of no more than 0-6 months between completing a master's degree and starting a mental health training programme. If you graduate in July/August, you can participate in the selection rounds in September for a start in the mental health training programme in January. If you graduate in February/March, you can participate in the selection rounds in March/April for a start in the mental health training programme in September of that year.
The selection procedure
More and more practical institutions, such as the Vincent van Gogh Institute, Pro Persona, GGnet and Mediant, are reserving places for direct transfer. There are two types of selection procedures:
- Through the practice setting. The practice settings choose to recruit candidates themselves for their direct transfer training places. Are you a master's student?
- Via de master Gezondheidszorgpsychologie van de Radboud Universiteit. Praktijkinstellingen kiezen er in dat geval voor om de selectieprocedure door de Radboud Universiteit te laten uitvoeren. Through the Master's programme in Health Care Psychology at Radboud University. In that case, practical institutions choose to have Radboud University carry out the selection procedure. Only if you are enrolled in the Master's programme in Health Care Psychology at Radboud University can you be nominated to the practical institution. During the Master's programme, there are various information sessions about the possibility of being nominated. If you have any questions about this, please contact amras.vanopdorp [at] ru.nl (amras[dot]vanopdorp[at]ru[dot]nl) (programme coordinator).
Selection criteria
In principle, the same elements are considered as in a regular application for a BIG training place. See the BIG training application procedure. There are no specific admission requirements, but in the case of a direct transfer place, the internship assessment is also taken into account and more emphasis is placed on your attitude and reflective ability, for example, to what extent you have insight into your own learning goals. Practical institutions are aware that the knowledge and skills of a direct transfer student may differ from those of someone who already has several years of work experience.
The direct transfer curriculum
The training programme to become a healthcare psychologist is the same for everyone. Once you have been admitted to the direct transfer programme, you will receive the same generalist training as all other participants and will be assessed on the same competencies. Because you have less work experience than regular PIOG students as a “direct transfer student”, you can participate in an intervision group during the first few months.
Direct transfer to other educational institutions
Developments surrounding direct entry into healthcare training programmes from master's programmes are in full swing. Nationwide, there has been a great deal of attention for this in recent years and actions have been set in motion. The extent to which direct entry places have already been finalised varies from one educational institution to another. Pilot projects are being run in several places across the country. In Nijmegen, direct transfer has been in place since 2018 and we have already gained a lot of experience. Please contact the relevant educational institution if you have any questions about how this is organised in your region.
