I meet with patients for clinical interviews. We talk about their background to get a better context of their disease and experiences. This includes their developmental experiences and family context for a full psychosocial picture. Then I'll take the patient through some assessment tests. A few weeks later, I'll have a feedback session with the patient to talk through their results, including implications for their life, education, and vocation.
CAREER
Clinical Neuropsychologists
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$105,780
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+2.3% (slower than the average)
Most Common Level of Education
Master's degree
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Clinical Neuropsychologists Do
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.
Other Job Titles Clinical Neuropsychologists May Have
Aviation Neuropsychologist, Clinical Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychology Medical Consultant, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Staff Psychologist
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Compare patients' progress before and after pharmacologic, surgical, or behavioral interventions.
- 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.
- Design or implement rehabilitation plans for patients with cognitive dysfunction.
- 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.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Clinical Neuropsychologists
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Doctoral or professional degree (53%)
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Doctoral or professional degree
Majors Related to Career
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
The foundation of my work is a strong interest in understanding and serving people. That interest is absolutely critical as a neuropsychologist. It's also helpful to be interested in details, data, numbers, and patterns. My interest in recognizing and putting patterns together has been very beneficial to my work.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.