Evaluating the impact of a clinical training program in the addictions

This research examined students who were enrolled in a specialized addiction treatment training program to evaluate the impact of this year-long internship experience on their professional lives. Achieving an 87.5% survey completion rate, the vast majority of program graduates assessed the overall training program and its component activities very positively. The topics and activities associated with "drug dependence" were evaluated more positively than the training events associated with pathological gambling. Furthermore, the majority of program graduates obtained jobs in the addiction field. As a result of the training program, approximately 74.5% of respondents stated that they had changed their beliefs about addiction. In addition, many respondents commented that their participation in the program changed their stereotypes of people with addiction. The findings provide suggestions and guidance for other clinical training programs that can gain from the experiences of fellows who studied at the Norman E. Zinberg Center for Addiction Studies.