Program Structure
This is a 2 year residency program focused on building skills for competent practice in adult and pediatric neuropsychology, emphasizing a process/flexible battery approach to neuropsychological assessment. We will recruit one resident yearly for a 2-year position, with two residents present in junior and senior positions. The primary focus will be on clinical training, although academic and some research training opportunities are also available. The program is designed to meet Houston Conference training guidelines for clinical neuropsychology, and to prepare residents for subsequent board certification in the field.
After an initial orientation period, the resident will be responsible for 5 clinic slots per week engaged in outpatient neuropsychological assessment. A unique component of this residency is the opportunity to gain experience with both adult and pediatric cases. The initial focus will be on adult assessment (3-4 slots per week), though experience in child assessment (ages 6 and up) will also begin immediately (1-2 slots per week). The balance of adult/child assessment experiences will be negotiable over the course of the two-year program, based on the resident’s interests, though some level of exposure to each will continue throughout.
Patient Populations
We have a very broad patient population given our presence in a general medical setting, which includes a Level One Trauma Center (adult and pediatric). Common referral diagnoses include:
o dementing illnesses
o epilepsy
o traumatic brain injury
o cerebrovascular disease
o multiple sclerosis
o brain neoplasms
o chemotherapy/radiation treatment effects
o psychiatric disorders
o PDDs
o learning disorders
o ADHD
o genetic syndromes
Additional Clinical Experiences
We have a comprehensive epilepsy surgery program, and the resident will have the opportunity to participate in adult and pediatric epilepsy surgery protocols, including intraarterial amobarbital (Wada) procedures and intraoperative language mapping. We also participate in evaluations of patients receiving Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. The resident will carry a small caseload of psychotherapy patients with comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders.
Supervision
The resident will be formally supervised by our three staff neuropsychologists: Brian Dessureau, Ph.D. and Jill Damon-Minow, Psy.D. for adult and pediatric cases, and Joan Swearer, Ph.D., ABPP/CN for adult cases. The resident will meet weekly with their supervisors to discuss ongoing cases and clinical issues, as well as on an as-needed basis. The amount of supervision meets and typically exceeds APA and state licensure requirements.
Didactic Opportunities
The division conducts its own Neuropsychology Seminar, which includes didactic presentations, journal club, case conference, and fact-finding. The resident will assist in coordinating the journal club, and will also be responsible for teaching at least one didactic seminar during the residency. Additional didactic opportunities are plentiful within the medical center, and include Psychiatry and Neurology Grand Rounds, Epilepsy, DBS and Neuropsychiatry Rounds, Neurology Resident Seminars, and a Health Psychology Peer Consultation Group.
Teaching and Supervision Opportunities
The resident will assist in supervising interns who select the neuropsychology track from our affiliated APA Psychology Internship Training Program (UMass/Worcester State Hospital). The resident will train interns in appropriate test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing, and will also be responsible for the initial editing of interns’ reports. Opportunities to conduct didactic trainings for the Internship are also typically available.
Research Opportunities
Numerous research opportunities exist within both the neuropsychology service and the broader medical center and its affiliates. Level of research involvement will be driven largely by the interest level and motivation of the resident, though completion of a professional project over the course of the residency is required. There is a large database of neuropsychological test data available for use in pursuing specific research questions.
Massachusetts Licensure
During the first training year, the resident will be strongly encouraged to spend time preparing for both the EPPP examination and the Massachusetts jurisprudence examination for state licensure, which can typically be taken by the Fall of the second training year. While achieving licensure will not impact the training structure of the program, this increases the flexibility of training experiences, and positions the resident well for subsequent employment. Achievement of licensure is also accompanied by an appropriate salary increase for the resident.
Resources and Support
We have a broad assortment of assessment instruments with a budget to purchase additional materials. The position has full administrative support, including scheduling and billing, although training in the “business aspects” of neuropsychological practice is an important component of the overall experience. Residents share a recently remodeled office and testing space, with full computer and telephone access.
Benefits
Base salary for the position is $35,797/year, although as noted, achievement of licensure will be accompanied by a significant salary increase. Salary is supplemented by an additional $2000 practice allowance, which can be used for expenses such as membership in professional associations, conference fees, purchasing clinical texts, and/or licensure study materials. This is a benefited position, which offers health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as options for life insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings accounts, and pre-tax reimbursement plans. Residents also receive 15 vacation days, 3 personal days, 15 days of sick time, and 13 paid holidays per year.
To Apply:
Applicants must hold or be nearing completion of a doctoral degree in clinical/counseling psychology from an APA/CPA-accredited program, including an APA/CPA-accredited internship with neuropsychology emphasis. To apply, send a detailed letter of interest, CV, three letters of recommendation, an official graduate transcript, and two de-identified sample neuropsychological assessment reports, by January 6, 2012 to:
Brian Dessureau, Ph.D.
Director of Neuropsychology Training
Department of Neurology
UMass Memorial Medical Center- University Campus
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655
On-campus interviews will be scheduled in the weeks following the application deadline. These in-person interviews are strongly recommended, as this allows the applicant to better assess their “fit” with our program, although phone interviews will be conducted if needed. At present, we will not be interviewing at the INS conference. We also do not participate in the APPCN matching program. Offers will be extended before the deadline for participating in the match, in order to allow candidates to make their decisions prior to match list submission.
