Clinical Neuropsychologists

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Life, Physical & Social Science
• O*NET-SOC code: 19-3039
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.
• Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.
• Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory.
• 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.
• Diagnose and treat pediatric populations for conditions such as learning disabilities with developmental or organic bases.
• Provide education or counseling to individuals and families.
• Distinguish between psychogenic and neurogenic syndromes, two or more suspected etiologies of cerebral dysfunction, or between disorders involving complex seizures.
• 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.
• Consult with other professionals about patients' neurological conditions.
• Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.
• 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.

Tools and technology

IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Auditory stimulation equipment, Automated Neuropsychological Metric Assessments Battery, Behavioral Assessment and Research System BARS, Block pattern sets, BrainMetric The Category Test, BrainTrain Captain's Log, CogniSyst Computerized Assessment of Response Bias CARB

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Neuropsychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Neurologists
• Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Pediatricians, General
• Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
• General Internal Medicine Physicians

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Clinical Neuropsychologists — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.