Career in Neuropsychology

Career in Neuropsychology

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Labor/ Employment and Training Administration sponsors the development of The Occupational Information Network (O*Net). The data provided by O*Net is utilized by millions of people annually as it is the country’s principal source of occupational information – it includes details of the employment outlook, education, job duties, training, related occupations, salary, among others. This data is valid and essential in comprehending the drastic changes in the work’s nature and its impact on the U.S economy and workforce. The present paper consists of annotated bibliographies of four sources that are related to a career in neuropsychology. The first source will be the O*Net Program, followed chronologically by a newspaper article, journal article, and lastly, a website. The annotations will summarize the occupational information in the articles and subsequently highlight the strengths and weaknesses. Occupational information is the dominant element required in the making of effective career decisions.

Keywords; career in neuropsychology, neuropsychologists, career, O*Net, occupational information, brain, and behavior.

Career in Neuropsychology

The human brain is disputably the most complex and impressive organ in the body. It is, at times, referred to as the master organ because it regulates all the other body organs. Furthermore, it controls the cognitive functions and behaviors. The responsibility to understand how the brain controls these systems falls upon the neuropsychologists

O*Net Online. (2019). 19-3039.01 – Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-3039.01

The O*Net program provides a report (19-3039.01) of a career in neuropsychology. The report initiates by declaring that the occupation, clinical neuropsychologists, and neuropsychologists, is anticipated to proliferate in the following years- there will be substantial numbers of job openings. It summarizes the career as the application of principles and theories of neuropsychology to diagnose and manage conditions involving higher cerebral functioning. The program lists the job titles that are linked with neuropsychologists. They include the two mentioned above and others like mental health director, pediatric neuropsychologist, aviation neuropsychologist, neuropsychology director, among others. On top of these, it highlights several areas like tasks, knowledge, technological skills, work activities, job zones, education, and the trends in wages and employment in the career.

The purpose of this report is to provide occupational information regarding careers in neuropsychology. The report aims to educate numerous stakeholders- students, practitioners (both physicians and neuropsychologists), employers, and rehabilitation centers. Any of the stakeholders can utilize the areas (mentioned above) it discusses. For instance, students aspiring to become neuropsychologists, on reading the report, they become aware that post-doctoral training and a doctoral degree is a requirement and must be fulfilled for them to start their career. On the other hand, practitioners better understand their work context- on a routine basis, they will engage in face-to-face discussions, and send a significant number of electronic mails.

O*Net is one of the best programs for credible and reliable information for occupational aspects. It is because it discusses in detail all the dimensions of a career, inclusive of a neuropsychologist. Therefore, after much scrutiny, no data is missing in regards to occupation in neuropsychologist.

Hevrdejs, J. (2014, October 9). Lisa Barnes, neuropsychologist. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-remarkable-barnes-young-20141009-story.html

This article entails an interview carried out to Lisa Barnes, a cognitive neuropsychologist. The specialist is a researcher at Rush University Medical Center, and her department is Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre. The efforts of her office are to untangle the health disparities and risk factors that result in the high probability of African-Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

The article is trustworthy as it is printed by a renowned newspaper firm- Chicago tribune- and provides firsthand information. Additionally, the interviewee is an influential character; it is due to that Lisa is a professor of neurological and behavioral science at Rush University Medical Centre. The paper is useful as it mentions several dimensions in the career of neuropsychology. According to Lisa, her profession mainly involves the functioning of the brain and how it influences human cognition and behavior. It backs up the report of O*Net in areas such as education, knowledge, work activities, and work context. In the education part, Lisa declares that she partook in a doctorate course at the University of Michigan, then completed a post-doctoral training (cognitive neuroscience) at the University of California based in Davis. Her work context substantially relies on face-to-face communication, which is evident from the community gatherings and surveys she creates. Her work activities mostly involve the collection of information, diagnosing neural disorders, and preparing reports.

The article coherently describes many areas in the career of psychology, which are listed on the O*Net program. However, some of them are not straightforward, and they are depicted indirectly, for instance, the abilities (inductive and deductive reasoning) and related job times (pediatric neuropsychologist).

Marcopulos, B. A., Welner, M., & Campbell, K. T. (2019). Forensic Challenges in Medical Settings for Physicians and Neuropsychologists. In Physician’s Field Guide to Neuropsychology (pp. 495-506). Springer, New York, NY.

The main point from this research is that the collaboration of a physician and neuropsychologist aids in resolving numerous aspects of criminal cases. This duo potentially enhances insight between the relationship of the cognitive functioning and the illegal misconduct of the individuals.

This study is a scholarly article, therefore enhancing reliability and credibility. The authors are neuropsychologists. They are B.A. Marcopulos (works at James Madison University and the University of Virginia Health Sciences Centre), M. Welner (The Forensic Panel), and K.T. Campbell (James Madison University). The paper is significant as it shows that a complementary synergy plays crucial roles in areas like trial competency challenges, identifying malingering, affirmative defenses, substitutes to incarceration, among others.

The paper is only limited to neuropsychologists’ roles in testifying in criminal cases. It does not show other job titles in the career of neuropsychology.

DePietro, M. (n.d.). Neuropsychologist: Definition and Patient Education. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/neuropsychologist

The medically reviewed article initiates by defining who a neuropsychologist is, followed by highlighting their roles, medical procedures, and evaluation of the test results. One of the most significant roles of these physicians is the evaluation of brain function. The evaluation is multifaceted as it consists of an interview that helps in identifying memory and mental health concerns. Additionally, other remarkable tests are done on brain function and include reasoning, problem-solving, personality, and emotions.

The outstanding feature of this article- though being based on a website- is that it is peer-reviewed. Foremost, the writer of the article is MaryAnn DePietro, a health and medical freelance writer with an experience of over 12 years. She has written for various organizations and clients like Medical News Today, Healthline, and Listen Magazine. On top of this, she is a licensed respiratory therapist and an ACE certified fitness trainer. The article has been reviewed by Judith Marcin, a medical doctor and a member of the Healthline team.

The work by DePietro offers a simplified summary of a neuropsychologist (definition, roles, and work context); nonetheless, it fails to highlight the educational background required.