Tufts Blogs

For many psychology majors, gaining meaningful hands-on clinical experience during college can be difficult. At Tufts, however, the Clinical Psychology major is designed to bridge that gap by pairing coursework with real-world field placements through the senior capstone sequence, Psychology 181 & 182: Senior Capstone in Clinical Psychology where students gain direct exposure to clinical and research settings while reflecting on their experiences in seminar. 

This year, as part of class, I’ve had the opportunity to work as a research assistant at Boston Medical Center. The experience has allowed me to see how psychological research and clinical care intersect in communities that face significant barriers to mental health services.

At Boston Medical Center, I contribute to a trauma-focused program called RESTORE, which supports individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress and other trauma-related challenges. The program focuses on improving access to care and ensuring that patients receive evidence-based treatment while also addressing disparities in who receives PTSD treatment.

As a research assistant on the project, my role sits at the intersection of research, patient care coordination, and data management. I administer and document PTSD clinical assessments using REDCap and Epic Systems, which allows clinicians and researchers to track patient progress and evaluate treatment outcomes. Working with these systems has helped me understand how clinical data is collected, stored, and translated into research that can improve patient care.

Another part of my role involves patient outreach and engagement. I work with clinicians and research staff to track patient participation, follow up with participants, and help ensure that patients remain connected to trauma-focused services. This work has shown me how much coordination happens behind the scenes to support individuals navigating mental health treatment.

Through this internship, I have developed technical skills such as working with REDCap and Epic but I have also gained an understanding of trauma-informed care, patient engagement, and the operational side of clinical research. These experiences complement what we learn in the classroom and demonstrate how psychological science can directly inform clinical practice.

As part of the capstone seminar, students regularly present updates about their internship sites, sharing the work they are doing and reflecting on what they are learning in real time. These presentations create a collaborative learning environment where students gain insight into the wide range of clinical and research settings their peers are working in. The course is led by Alexander Queen, who also dedicates time to helping students prepare for the next steps in their careers. Throughout the semester, he facilitates conversations and workshops on topics such as graduate school applications, resume building, interview preparation, and figuring out different careers in psychology, ensuring that students leave the program not only with experience but also with practical tools for pursuing their future goals.

For me, this internship has been an important step toward my long-term goal of becoming a clinical child psychologist. Working in a hospital environment has shown me how research, clinical care, and community health intersect, and it has strengthened my interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I am glad I chose to pursue the clinical psychology major at Tufts because without it, I wouldn't have this kind of hands-on experience before graduation, bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world impact.