NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST AND CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGST

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Apply theories and principles of neuropsychology to diagnose and treat disorders of higher cerebral functioning.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.
• 2) Provide psychotherapy, behavior therapy, or other counseling interventions to patients with neurological disorders.
• 3) Provide education or counseling to individuals and families.
• 4) Participate in educational programs, in-service training, or workshops to remain current in methods and techniques.
• 5) Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.
• 6) Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.
• 7) Identify and communicate risks associated with specific neurological surgical procedures such as epilepsy surgery.
• 8) Educate and supervise practicum students, psychology interns, or hospital staff.
• 9) Design or implement rehabilitation plans for patients with cognitive dysfunction.
• 10) Diagnose and treat conditions such as chemical dependency, alcohol dependency, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) dementia, and environmental toxin exposure.
• 11) Distinguish between psychogenic and neurogenic syndromes, two or more suspected etiologies of cerebral dysfunction, or between disorders involving complex seizures.
• 12) 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.
• 13) Establish neurobehavioral baseline measures for monitoring progressive cerebral disease or recovery.
• 14) Compare patients’ progress before and after pharmacologic, surgical, or behavioral intervention
• 15) Diagnose and treat psychiatric populations for conditions such as somatoform disorder, dementias, and psychoses.
• 16) 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.
• 17) Diagnose and treat pediatric populations for conditions such as learning disabilities with developmental or organic bases.
• 18) Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensory-motor function, language, learning, and memory.

Activities:

• 1) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 2) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 3) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 4) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 5) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 6) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 7) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 8) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 9) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 10) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 11) Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• 12) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 13) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 14) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 15) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 16) Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• 17) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 18) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 19) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 20) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 21) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 22) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 23) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 24) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 25) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• 26) Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• 27) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 28) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• 29) Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• 30) Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• 31) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Abilities:

• 1) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 2) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 3) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 4) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 5) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 6) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 7) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 8) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 9) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 10) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 11) Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• 12) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 13) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 14) Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• 15) Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• 16) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 17) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 18) Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
• 19) Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• 20) Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• 21) Speed of Closure — The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.

Knowledge

• 1) 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.
• 2) 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.
• 3) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 4) 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.
• 5) 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.
• 6) Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 7) 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.
• 8) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 9) Sociology and Anthropology — Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.