The following policies will guide the 2009 APPCN Match.
Adherence to these policies is a condition of membership in APPCN and of participation in the APPCN Match.

1. These policies apply to all participants in the APPCN Match, including APPCN member residency programs, non-APPCN member residency programs, and residency applicants.
   
   
   1. All participants shall abide by their agreements with APPCN for participation in the APPCN Match.
      
      
   2. Residency program directors must ensure that all people involved in recruiting or selecting residents understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   3. Directors of residency programs that are participating in the APPCN Match are requested to ensure that residency applicants understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   4. Violations of APPCN Match Policies or Match Agreements by applicants or programs may result in sanctions by APPCN (e.g., being barred from future Matches) or legal action by other Match participants. In addition, violations by applicants may result in disciplinary action by the applicants' residency programs.
      
      
2. All APPCN member residency programs, and non-member programs that participate in the Match, must offer all of their clinical neuropsychology residency positions through the APPCN Match. The APPCN Match applies only to clinical residency programs. Research fellowships in neuropsychology do not participate in the Match.
   
   
3. Residency programs that conduct interviews must make a reasonable effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application materials as to his/her interview status.
   
   
   1. Notification must occur in a timely manner, and no later than any interview notification date that appears in the program's publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone, regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or other means.
      
      
   2. Residency programs should have a representative available for interviewing applicants at the location of the North American International Neuropsychological Society (INS) meeting, which typically takes place in February. However, interviewing at the INS meeting is not a requirement for applicants. Programs must inform candidates who are invited to an interview at INS whether or not they may also be required to do an on-site interview at the program’s location; such notification should be made before the INS interview.
      
      
   3. Sites that conduct open houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are exempt from this requirement (this process should be clearly stated in the sites' publicity materials).
      
      
4. Participants in the APPCN Match, including applicants and programs, may not communicate, solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information prior to the release of the Match results.
   
   
   1. Residency programs must include the following statement on their web sites and in their brochures: "This residency site agrees to abide by the APPCN policy that no person at this facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any residency applicant."
      
      
   2. Prior to the release of APPCN Match results, residency applicants may be provided with only limited information regarding their candidacy. Acceptable statements prior to Match Day are described below:
      
      
      1. For candidates receiving serious consideration:
         We are very interested in your application. You are competitive with our top candidates.
         
         
      2. For candidates not ranked near the top of the list but not ranked so low as to be excluded from consideration:
         Although your application is not in the top group of our candidates, we have a continued interest in your application.
         
         
      3. For candidates who definitely will not be accepted into the program, even if all the other candidates are unavailable:
         Because of the large number of excellent candidates for our (number) position(s), we regret to inform you that your application is no longer being considered. We hope this information will be useful to you as you consider other positions.
         
         
   3. Residency programs and applicants may never solicit information regarding applicants' and programs' rankings, even after the release of the Match results.
      
      
   4. Residency programs that offer more than one track (program) in the APPCN Match (i.e., sites with more than one program code number) are expected to ask applicants to identify the tracks to which they are applying. However, residency programs may not solicit any information about the applicants' rankings of these tracks.
      
      
   5. Any ranking information that is communicated between applicants and residency programs, even though such communication is a violation of these policies, is non-binding and may be changed at any time prior to the Rank Order List submission deadline. The only binding rankings are the confidential Rank Order Lists that are submitted to the APPCN Match.
      
      
   6. Residency programs may choose to provide applicants with information about the size of the applicant pool.
      
      
5. Results of the APPCN Match constitute binding agreements between applicants and residency programs that may not be reversed unilaterally by either party.
   
   
   1. Appointments of applicants to residency positions may be contingent upon the applicants satisfying certain eligibility requirements. Such eligibility requirements must be clearly specified in the residency programs' written materials and provided to applicants in advance of the APPCN Match.
      
      
   2. Residency program directors are encouraged to contact matched applicants by telephone as soon as possible after 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Savings Time on APPCN Match Day.
      
      
   3. It is not necessary for residency program directors to contact applicants with whom they have not been matched.
      
      
6. Residency program directors must put in writing their appointment agreements with matched applicants in letters postmarked no later than 72 hours following receipt of the APPCN Match results.
   
   
   1. Letters must be addressed to the applicants and must include confirmation of conditions of the appointment, such as stipend, fringe benefits, and the dates on which the residency begins and ends.
      
      
7. Residency programs that receive their APPCN Match results and have one or more positions left unfilled may then make other direct offers of admission (verbal or written) to applicants who remain unmatched or to applicants who did not participate in the Match. Applicants who receive their APPCN Match results and who remain unmatched may then receive other direct offers of admission.
   
   
   1. Failure to receive timely notification of the APPCN Match results, for any reason, does not constitute a release from the Match.
      
      
   2. Residency programs may not take any actions to fill open positions prior to 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Savings Time on APPCN Match Day. Applicants who remain unmatched may not contact residency programs about unfilled positions prior to 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Savings Time on APPCN Match Day.
      
      
   3. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, residency program directors must verify with applicants, to the best of their abilities, that the applicants have not previously been matched to other residency programs nor accepted other offers.
      
      
   4. Applicants may not accept an offer if they have been matched or have already accepted an offer from another residency program.
      
      
   5. An offer (verbal or written) that has been tendered by a residency program and accepted by an applicant constitutes a binding agreement between the program and the applicant that may not be reversed unilaterally by either party.
      
      
   6. The residency program director must put in writing the appointment agreement with the applicant in a letter postmarked no later than 72 hours following acceptance of the offer by the applicant, as described in paragraph 6a above.
      
      
8. Individuals who perceive violations of these policies are urged to request compliance with APPCN policies from the appropriate party (parties).
   
   
   1. Unresolved compliance problems should be resolved informally, whenever possible, through consultation among applicants, residency program directors, and/or APPCN, or by other informal means.
      
      
   2. Residency program directors who become aware of violations of these policies by other program directors should urge the applicants involved to follow the informal resolution procedures described above, and/or should directly contact the other residency program directors.
      
      
   3. Perceived violations of APPCN Policies and/or the Match Agreements that are not resolved through informal consultation should be reported as soon as possible to the APPCN Board of Directors at the address listed at the end of this document.
      
      
9. All reported violations of these policies will be considered by the APPCN Board of Directors. Violation of APPCN policies should be reported to:
   
   Brad L. Roper, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
   President, APPCN
   P.O. Box 1366
   Abingdon, MD 21009
   
   

Reprinted, including revisions, with permission from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Notes:

1. APPCN members, and non-APPCN members who participate in the Match, may reprint the APPCN Match Policies in their program materials and brochures by stating "Reprinted with permission of APPCN and APPIC."
   
   
2. Non-member programs that participate in the Match may indicate their Match participation in any program brochures, advertisements, or other materials provided to potential applicants by stating that the program is an "APPCN Match participant". Non-member programs should not state that they are APPCN members, affiliates, associates, or have any other relationship with or are sanctioned by APPCN, beyond participation in the APPCN Match.