Career prospects

Upon successful completion of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology graduates are eligible to apply for registration as a Practitioner Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist with the HCPC and the British Psychological Society.

Once registered with these bodies, trainees can gain employment as a clinical psychologist in the NHS or with other organisations.

Registration with HCPC

In July 2009 Clinical Psychology became a regulated profession under the Health and Care Professions Council.

The HCPC maintains a register of individuals entitled to use the title of ‘Clinical Psychologist’; entrants to the register need to have undertaken a training that enables them to meet the ‘standards of proficiency’ adopted by HCPC.

On completion of training trainees will be able to apply for registration as a Clinical Psychologist with the HCPC on the basis of having undertaken and completed a recognised course.

The HCPC has granted the University of Edinburgh Doctorate in Clinical Psychology open-ended approval, which means that graduates from the programme are deemed to have met the relevant standards.

The process of registration with HCPC

The HCPC website gives a good overview of the process of registration.

The basic procedure is as follows:

  • The trainee needs to complete the HCPC application form with all relevant documentation and payment and submit this to the HCPC on completion of the Programme. The HCPC will keep this on hold until it receives notification from the Programme that the trainee has passed.
  • The Programme needs to notify the HCPC that a trainee has successfully passed all elements of the programme – specifically, the academic, clinical and research components of the course. Notification only takes place on successful completion of all course requirements.