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Clinical Neuropsychologists

Assess and diagnose patients with neurobehavioral problems related to acquired or developmental disorders of the nervous system, such as neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, and learning disabilities. Recommend treatment after diagnosis, such as therapy, medication, or surgery. Assist with evaluation before and after neurosurgical procedures, such as deep brain stimulation.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Design or implement rehabilitation plans for patients with cognitive dysfunction.
    • Diagnose and treat neural and psychological conditions in medical and surgical populations, such as patients with early dementing illness or chronic pain with a neurological basis.
    • Participate in educational programs, in-service training, or workshops to remain current in methods and techniques.
    • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.
    • Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.
    • Distinguish between psychogenic and neurogenic syndromes, two or more suspected etiologies of cerebral dysfunction, or between disorders involving complex seizures.
    • Diagnose and treat psychiatric populations for conditions such as somatoform disorder, dementias, and psychoses.
    • Establish neurobehavioral baseline measures for monitoring progressive cerebral disease or recovery.
    • Diagnose and treat pediatric populations for conditions such as learning disabilities with developmental or organic bases.
    • Diagnose and treat conditions involving injury to the central nervous system, such as cerebrovascular accidents, neoplasms, infectious or inflammatory diseases, degenerative diseases, head traumas, demyelinating diseases, and various forms of dementing illnesses.
    • Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory.
    • Consult with other professionals about patients' neurological conditions.
    • Educate and supervise practicum students, psychology interns, or hospital staff.
    • Identify and communicate risks associated with specific neurological surgical procedures, such as epilepsy surgery.
    • Provide psychotherapy, behavior therapy, or other counseling interventions to patients with neurological disorders.
    • Provide education or counseling to individuals and families.
    • Compare patients' progress before and after pharmacologic, surgical, or behavioral interventions.
    • Design or implement rehabilitation plans for patients with cognitive dysfunction.
    • Identify and communicate risks associated with specific neurological surgical procedures, such as epilepsy surgery.
    • Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.
    • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.

    Abilities

    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    Education

    Education
    Master's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Internship/residency

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    120080/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    57.73/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    19,280
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1560

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Concern for Others
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products
    • Desktop computers
    • Electromyography EMG units
    • Galvanic or faradic stimulators
    • Laser fax machine
    • Laser printers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Respiratory monitoring kits
    • Therapeutic pegboards or activity boards

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software