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Internships / Training
The Training Department at Napa State Hospital arranges and assists staff to meet their annual mandatory trainings. It provides all disciplines the opportunity to earn continued educational units throughout the year, with it's many conferences, workshops and related work trainings. The trainings provided are highly stimulating, motivational and interactive in an effort to assist the healthcare professional in meeting the needs and treatment of our diverse forensic and LPS populations.
The Nursing Education Department at Napa State Hospital offers a comprehensive program of orientation and competency validation for nursing staff and continuing education units are available at no cost for hospital employees. A variety of topics for CEU's are presented, including classes on psychiatric and physical disorders and treatment, treatment of the suicidal, violent, or angry client, development of nursing care plans, and an overview of forensic issues. The Nursing Education Department also provides assistance for current employees who are preparing for their state nursing board examination and a tutoring and mentoring program for employees enrolled in a Psychiatric Technician Apprenticeship Program.
Employee career advancement is promoted at this facility through the Career Development Committee. The committee is active in recommending sponsorships for employees who desire advanced education and provides opportunities for employees to improve their interview skills and techniques.
The Medical Staff organizes 48 Grand Rounds presentations each year on clinically oriented topics. Each session qualifies for 1-1/2 hours of CME credit.
Psychiatric Technician Apprenticeship Training Program
Napa State Hospital’s Psychiatric Technician Apprenticeship Training Program offers individuals an opportunity to become licensed Psychiatric Technicians. The apprenticeship program consists of 3,000 hours of on-the-job training plus classroom instruction in mental health, developmental disabilities, nursing science, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology.
Apprentices in the Napa program will first complete the hospital's in-house program to become Certified Nurse Assistants. Then they will start the 12-month Napa "fast track" Psychiatric Technician education program. In addition to going to class, each apprentice will receive a 40-hour pay check for working at the hospital, assisting medical and nursing staff in the care and treatment of patients with serious mental illnesses. Upon successful completion of the program, they will be eligible to take the state's Psychiatric Technician license examination.
Because Psychiatric Technician Apprentice is a state civil service position represented by California Association of Psychiatric Technicians (CAPT), the apprentices are covered by the CAPT contract which provides for salaries, health benefits, holidays, vacations and working condition.
To enter the apprenticeship program, candidates must complete the 12th grade or its equivalent, be eligible to enroll in Napa Valley College’s “Fast-Track” Psychiatric Technician program, and demonstrate proficiency in basic English and mathematics. To get more information, individuals may contact Natalie Allen at (707) 254-2437.
Recreation Therapy Internship Program
Napa State Hospital is certified through the "National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification" and "The California Board of Recreation and Park Certification" as an approved internship site. The interns will be supervised under the guidance of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Professionals.
The objective for the internship program is to provide an intern exposure to high quality, hands-on opportunities for practical applications of therapeutic recreation concepts and techniques. Through a choice of a variety of clinical settings within the realm of services provided to individuals with mental illness, the student intern develops the skills necessary to become a recreation therapist. Therapeutic recreation plays an important role in the individual's treatment to help facilitate that individual's ability to move to a lesser restrictive living environment, to possible reintegration back into the community through providing a variety of treatment and leisure programs. Interns will have the opportunity to develop and run treatment services on an individual and group basis.
Napa State Hospital's Therapeutic Recreation internship program follows the guidelines of each individual university concerning coordination of the university internship requirements, and the requirements of the hospital.
Treatment and leisure modalities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Leisure Education
Values Clarification
Stress Reduction
Social Skills
Communication Skills
Arts in Mental Health Program
Exercise, Weightlifting, Sports and other Body Mechanic modalities
Adult Education
Vocational and Pre-vocational Work Training
Community Re-orientation Programs and Community Outings
Independent Living Skills (cooking, money management, time management, etc.)
Group Therapy
Music and Art Programs
Variety of Free Leisure Time ActivitiesFor further information about the Recreational Therapy Internship Program contact: Jennifer Marshall,CTRS, RTC at E-mail: JMarshal@dmhnsh.state.ca.us, Phone: (707) 253-5983 or the Chief of Rehabilitation Therapy Services at (707) 253-5585.
Occupational Therapy Internship Program
The Occupational Therapy (O.T.) internship program at Napa State Hospital is offered to O.T. students from around the world who have completed their required academic training from either a bachelors or masters degreed program. The internship program is built around the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) guidelines and complies with the professional standards of AOTA, the involved university or college, and Napa State Hospital. O.T. assistant (COTA) fieldwork experiences are also available at Napa State Hospital.
The objective of the internship program is to provide students with the opportunity to integrate academic knowledge with application skills important in the area of psychosocial O.T. practice. This is done under the experienced supervision of an O.T.R., but includes exposure to a wide variety of disciplines and clinical settings.
An interview (personal or videotaped) is required to ensure that the student understands the clinical expectations for this experience. A preference will be given to those who demonstrate self-direction, motivation, and a strong commitment to their new career and the individuals they will be serving.
Interested prospective applicants should contact: Nanci Caron, OTR-O.T. Internship Coordinator at (707) 253-5915 or the Chief of Rehabilitation Therapy Services at (707) 253-5585.
Art Therapy Internship Program
Napa State Hospital's Art Therapy Program has provided internship experiences for dozens of Art Therapy students for over twenty years. Due to its range of services and resources, the Hospital has provided an excellent training ground for Art Therapists from programs throughout the world. Several registered Art Therapists, with years of clinical experience, are employed in the various treatment programs of the hospital, and are capable of providing sensitive and skillful supervision.
In considering applicants for internship, we look for students from American Art Therapy Association approved training programs who have demonstrated a serious commitment to the study and practice of Art Therapy. Applicants should demonstrate personal maturity and have a range of professional and life experiences which would qualify them to work with a challenging population.
For further information about the internship program contact: Ronald P.M.H. Lay, MA, ATR-BC, at (707) 254-2514 or the Chief of Rehabilitation Therapy Services at (707) 253-5585.
Social Work Internship Program
Napa State Hospital Social Work Services accepts second year graduate students for field placements. Psychiatric Social Workers who supervise these students coordinate the required field placement training with the graduate school. Students have the unique opportunity of gaining a breadth of experience in group and individual psychotherapy, case management, biopsychosocial rehabilitation groups and competency training under the direct supervision of experienced clinicians. They may also take advantage of numerous trainings available through our professional education departments. Most recently our graduate student interns have come from California State University, Sacramento. In the past we have also had interns from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Social Welfare and California State University, San Francisco.
For further information about the internship program contact: Ann Long, LCSW, Chief, Social Work Services at (707) 253-5737.
Clinical Psychology Internship Program
The Department of Psychology offers an A.P.A. – approved, Clinical Psychology Internship Program. This one-year, predoctoral training program prepares students for entry level practice in professional psychology. Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral training program in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. They must also have completed all of the requirements for the degree, except the dissertation, prior to the start of the training year. Please click on Napa State Hospital Psychology Internship Brochure
. Additional information may be found on the APPIC website.
Dietetic Internship Program
The Dietetic Internship Program at Napa State Hospital is an eleven-month program, with an emphasis on psychiatric disabilities, and provides supervised practice experience in food service administration, clinical dietetics and community nutrition. Interns have the opportunity to participate in several unique learning experiences.
Several program affiliations contribute to expanding the knowledge and professional practice necessary to becoming a competent dietitian. Clinical affiliations include Queen of the Valley Hospital, St. Helena Hospital, and Doctor's Medical Group. Affiliations with Napa-Solano Headstart and Solano County Health Department supplement the program's community health curriculum.
The program is designed to provide didactic and supervised practice to meet eligibility requirements and to increase the intern's understanding of professional practice. Successful completion of the program enables the intern to receive endorsement to write the National Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Internship program usually begins on August 1st and continues through June 30th.
Dorm style housing is furnished on the hospital grounds. All meals are provided, and an educational stipend is paid monthly.
For further information about the Dietetic Internship program contact: Wen Pao, Dietetic Internship Director at (707) 253-5428. Please click on the Napa State Hospital Dietetic Internship Application Packet .
Psychiatric Pharmacy Clerkship
The Department of Pharmacy offers a six week Psychiatric Pharmacy Clerkship to fourth year pharmacy students enrolled at the following Schools of Pharmacy: University of California - San Francisco, University of the Pacific, and University of Southern California. The six-week experience enables the student to gain greater understanding of psychiatric treatment modalities. Students are assigned to a treatment unit and participate with the treatment team. They contribute drug information as requested, participate in interdisciplinary team conferences, and make recommendations concerning medication treatment. In addition to unit activity, students attend clinic rounds with the Movement Disorder consultant, lead a number of weekly individual education groups, and present lectures to nursing and pharmacy staff on a variety of topics.
Interested students should contact the Clerkship Coordinator at their school of pharmacy to register for the Psychiatric Pharmacy Clerkship. A syllabus has been provided to each school of pharmacy which provides an overview of the clerkship. For additional questions, students may contact Lee Bulfalini, Pharm.D., BCPP. She may be reached by telephone at (707) 253-5999 or by email at lbufalin@dmhnsh.state.ca.us .