Training Activities
Approximately 70% of the resident’s time will be devoted to clinical activities. Each training year will be divided into trimesters. Each trimester will be comprised of either one major rotation or two minor rotations. Options for major and minor rotations are described below. In addition, the resident will evaluate patients from the general population seen by the neuropsychology service throughout both years of training. During the first year, one trimester will be spent as a major rotation in the Pediatric Epilepsy Center (described below). The resident will select a combination of major and minor rotations to comprise the remaining two trimesters of the first year; however, no rotation may be repeated during the first year. The resident will select all of his or her rotations for the second year, with the option of extending the same rotation across two trimesters. This provides the resident with an opportunity to focus his or her training on a particular specialty area. Alternatively, the resident may choose to cover a variety of rotations during the second year as a means of gaining a breadth of exposure to children with complex medical and neurological conditions.
During each trimester, the
resident should expect to evaluate approximately 10 clinical patients per month,
6 to 8 of which will be from the major rotation or a combination of the two
minor rotations. The remainder of the resident’s
patients will consist of patients with a variety of presenting concerns from
the general population seen by the neuropsychology service. Evaluating patients through major and minor
rotations as well as from the general population of patients seen within the
service will provide the resident with both a breadth and depth of experience. The resident will conduct his or her own
testing for the majority of the patients he or she sees; however, some
opportunities to supervise a testing assistant will be available.
The major rotations offered
include:
·
The Pediatric Epilepsy Center (required during first
year): The Pediatric Epilepsy Center
is one of the largest and most comprehensive specialized centers for the care
of children with epilepsy and seizure disorders in the United States. It is
made up of eight pediatric epileptologists, two pediatric epilepsy
neurosurgeons, two nurse practitioners, a dietician, and a pediatric
neuropsychologist. The epilepsy rotation will offer residents supervised
experience in providing evaluation and consultation services to children and
adolescents with a range of epilepsy conditions. This will include pre- and
post-surgical epilepsy evaluations, outpatient evaluations, inpatient
consultation on the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, and participation in the weekly
Pediatric Epilepsy Surgical Conference. Residents will be expected to
contribute to on-going neuropsychological research in pediatric epilepsy, and
opportunities will be provided for residents to generate research on their own
and/or collaborate with other investigators in the school of medicine. In
addition, instruction will be provided on intracarotid sodium amytal
studies (i.e., Wada tests), with opportunities to participate in the procedures
and present results to the remainder of the epilepsy surgical team.
·
Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Center (optional): The Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Center is a
multi-disciplinary team dedicated to the care of children with central nervous
system tumors. During the neuro-oncology
major rotation, residents will evaluate children and adolescents with a wide
variety of benign and malignant tumors that have been treated with some
combination of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation. The resident also may participate in testing
patients enrolled on cooperative research trials through the Children’s
Oncology Group. The resident will attend
weekly Neuro-Oncology Rounds during which imaging studies, treatment
strategies, and case management issues are discussed for individual
patients.
·
General Oncology/Hematology (including Sickle Cell
Disease) (optional): The Division of
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology is a large, comprehensive program dedicated to
the treatment of children with blood disorders and cancer. During this rotation, residents will conduct
neuropsychological evaluations of children and adolescents with a variety of
medical conditions including leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors, sickle-cell
disease, stroke, and aplastic anemia.
While this rotation primarily involves comprehensive evaluations, the
resident will also participate in focused pre-and post- bone marrow transplant
evaluations, as well as testing for patients enrolled in cooperative research
trials through the Children’s Oncology Group.
The resident will attend regularly scheduled multidisciplinary team
meetings for the Late Effects Clinic, Bone Marrow Transplant Team, and Sickle
Cell Clinic. These teams are comprised of professionals from many health
related disciplines including medicine, nursing, psychology, occupational
therapy, physical therapy, and social work.
·
Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic
(optional): This rotation offers a focus on outpatient
assessment of patients with a history of traumatic brain injury, ranging in
severity from mild to severe, and ranging in age from preschoolers to young
adults. Residents will gain experience
with employing a brief screening model for patients with recent injuries and a
comprehensive assessment model for patients with remote injuries. Responsibilities include conducting feedback
sessions in which education and recommendations are provided to patients and
parents.
·
General Outpatient Neurology (optional): This rotation offers the resident an
opportunity to see children and adolescents presenting with a range of
neurological disorders and/or general medical conditions that may impact brain
development. Residents will conduct
outpatient neuropsychological evaluations and provide consultation to referring
physicians, schools, and families.
Potential referrals include hydrocephalus, ateriovenous malformations,
meningitis, Tourette syndrome/movement disorders, immune deficiency disorders,
and more.
The minor rotations offered are
described below. In addition, any of the
aforementioned major rotations may be condensed to become a minor
rotation. Two minor rotations are equal
to one major rotation.
·
Cerebral Palsy/Perinatal Stroke: This
rotation focuses on providing neuropsychological assessment services to
patients with cerebral palsy, ranging in age from preschoolers to young adults. Most patients are referred through the
hospital’s Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Clinic or Pediatric Neurology
Movement Disorders Center which employ a multidisciplinary, family-centered
approach to treatment. In addition to
administering standardized assessments, residents will gain experience with
using non-standardized assessment techniques to help understand the cognitive
status of patients with severe motor disabilities who may otherwise be considered
“untestable”. Responsibilities include
conducting feedback sessions in which education and recommendations are
provided to patients and families.
·
Solid Organ Transplant: St. Louis Children’s Hospital is at the forefront of
pediatric organ transplantation, with active services in kidney, heart, lung
and liver transplants. Neuropsychology
is regularly involved with the transplant teams, through standard
pre-transplant neuropsychological evaluations for most patients, potential
post-transplant follow-up, and active participation in multidisciplinary team
meetings. On this rotation, the resident
will conduct targeted neuropsychological assessments and attend
multidisciplinary rounds.
·
Genetics (emphasis on Neurofibromatosis Type 1): Residents will have an opportunity to provide
outpatient neuropsychological evaluations for patients with genetic conditions
with an emphasis on patients referred by the Neurofibromatosis Clinic. The
Neurofibromatosis Clinic at Washington University is associated with one of the
most active research centers for NF in the country, and residents on this
rotation can choose to pursue clinical research through the center, if
interested.
Supervision
The resident will participate
in a minimum of two to three hours of one-on-one supervision per week. Supervision will involve planning of the
evaluation, conceptualization of the case prior to parent feedback, and
preparation of the final written report.
Supervision for each case will be provided by one of our four pediatric
neuropsychologists.
Didactics
The resident will participate
in a variety of didactic experiences that occur on a weekly or monthly basis,
and these experiences will comprise 10-15% of the resident’s time. Weekly didactics include:
Neuropsychology
Case Conference: The resident
and neuropsychology supervisors will take turns presenting clinical cases. The case conference is designed to
stimulate discussion regarding conceptualization of the child’s test
results within the context of his/her history as well as appropriate
recommendations for the family to facilitate improvements in his/her
overall functioning.
Neuropsychology
Seminar: The neuropsychology
seminar will cover a broad range of topics in line with critical
competencies for board certification in clinical neuropsychology,
including the ethical practice of neuropsychology in clinical and research
settings, culturally-competent neuropsychological care, functional
neuroanatomical principles, neuropsychological assessment, behavioral
neurology, basic/clinical neuroscience, and neuro-imaging and other
neurodiagnostic techniques.
Preparation for becoming board certified in clinical
neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology
(ABPP) will be addressed.
Presentations will be divided among the resident, neuropsychology
supervisors, and guest speakers from the wider medical school community.
Grand
Rounds: The resident will have
the opportunity to participate in relevant weekly Grand Rounds presented
by the Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, and
Psychiatry.
Research
The resident is expected to
complete an original research project over the course of the two-year program
that culminates in a professional product such as a conference poster or paper
or publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
The resident may choose to become involved in ongoing research within
the neuropsychology service or to develop his or her own research project under
the direction of one of the neuropsychology supervisors. Research experiences will constitute approximately
10-15% of the resident’s time.
Benefits
The salary will be $35,000
for the first year and $36,050 for the second year. In addition, the resident will be provided
with $1,000 in professional development money per year to be used for
conference travel, purchasing relevant books, and other professional
needs. The resident will receive medical
and dental benefits, and parking is provided.
Time-off benefits include 10 vacation days, 5 holidays, 3 conference
days, and 3 days of unscheduled (sick) leave per year. During the second year, 3 additional days are
provided for preparation for the EPPP/licensure.
Application Requirements
Applicants for the Postdoctoral
Residency in Pediatric Neuropsychology at SLCH must meet the following
requirements:
- Completion of a doctoral degree from an APA or CPA approved program in one of the health service delivery areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, school, clinical neuropsychology, or health psychology) OR a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA or CPA approved program with additional completion of a “respecialization” program designed to meet equivalent criteria as a health services delivery training program in psychology. Applicants must be able to complete all degree requirements (including defense of the doctoral dissertation) by the start date of the fellowship, although the applicant’s university may not have conferred the applicant’s degree by the start date.
- Completion of an APA or CPA approved pre-doctoral internship with an emphasis on neuropsychology.
- An applicant’s graduate transcript must reflect that the majority of his or her coursework was in the Generic Psychology and Generic Clinical core areas with additional coursework in Brain-Behavior Relationships and Practice of Clinical Neuropsychology areas as specified in the Houston Conference Policy Statement.
- An applicant’s graduate transcript and curriculum vita must demonstrate clinical training in and competence with research methodology to meet equivalent criteria as a health services delivery professional in the scientist-practitioner model.
- Given that our program is focused on the delivery
of neuropsychological services to children, adolescents, and young adults,
the applicant’s coursework and curriculum vita should reflect a track
record of acquiring a variety of experiences working with this age range.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should
forward the materials listed below.
Applicants are encouraged to submit as many of these documents as
possible electronically (attachments or PDF files) to Dr. Isenberg at the
e-mail address listed below. Documents
also may be submitted via postal mail at the address below.
- Cover letter detailing clinical and research
interests as well as future career goals
- Graduate transcript
- Three letters of recommendation*
- Curriculum vita
- Two de-identified assessment reports completed by
the applicant
- Doctoral Training Verification Form (completed by
the applicant’s dissertation chair or the Director of Clinical Training at
the applicant’s graduate program; available at www.appcn.org/training.htm)
*If letters of recommendation
are submitted electronically, they should be sent directly from the letter
writer. If letters are submitted via
postal mail, they should be sent in a sealed envelope with the letter writer’s
signature across the flap.
Electronic submissions: jci1119@bjc.org
Postal submissions: Jill Isenberg, Ph.D.
Program
Co-Director, Pediatric Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Department
of Psychology
St.
Louis Children’s Hospital
1
Children’s Place, Suite 3N-14
St.
Louis, MO 63110
Questions regarding the
program may be directed to Dr. Isenberg at jci1119@bjc.org
or 314-454-4025.
Deadline for the receipt of
application materials is Monday, January
2, 2012. Faculty members will be
available to interview candidates at the 40th Annual Meeting of the
International Neuropsychological Society (INS) in Montreal , Quebec , Canada
