Neuropsychology Technician
(Female, Age 25) from Charlotte, NC
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 25 who works as a Neuropsychology Technician in Charlotte, NC. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Neuropsychology Technician |
|---|---|
| Salary | $29,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Charlotte, NC |
| Years Experience | 3.5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Our practice provides outpatient services for patients with various neurological disorders. This includes those with brain injuries, strokes, neurological and psychological problems. I personally administer neuropsychological tests to assist with diagnosing these patients. After I score and compile the results, they are then seen by our neuropsychologist in order to receive treatment.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I administer and score standardized neuropsychological tests. I also assist with scheduling, editing dictated evaluations and sending them to referring doctors and verifying mental health insurance benefits.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
10 days vacation, no sick leave, individual health insurance via a stipend, no retirement plan.
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Very under compensated.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Absolutely. Our neuropsychological battery requires me to spend between 6 and 8 hours with one patient per day. I like this most days but some patients can be difficult especially those with Alzheimer’s or small children with ADHD.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in a somewhat small building comprised of 4 other businesses. I very much like having my own office with a window, which I’m very appreciative of. I dislike that it is somewhat of an outdated building in an upscale area which has much more modern buildings surrounding us.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 4
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 7
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 1
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Careerbuilder
What was the application process?
Submitted electronic application via Careerbuilder.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had an initial interview with the Office Manager and the current Neuropsychology Technician at the time. I had a second one on one interview with the Neuropsychologist.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I was asked about my prior experience working with patients and about the content of my thesis.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No, my boss rushed me to begin testing and the woman training me had a falling out with the office manager which left me to learn many of the tests on my own.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I was trained by the former technician who was leaving.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, my previous job entailed prepping the technicians for their testing and helping with scoring so I was already familiarized with the testing process.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Absolutely, my background and my education were both paramount to the skills necessary for my current job.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Major in Psychology and gain experience in a neurological related field.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Social skills are extremely important for this position. Our patients go through a rigorous process which can be quite demanding both emotionally and cognitively. Many patients often break down crying or become quite angry and it’s necessary to help diffuse this situation as quickly as possible as it may skew their testing results. It’s also hugely important to be able to multitask as many tests have different time restrictions and time delays that you need to be mindful of.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. A background in neuroscience is necessary in order to understand what issues your patients are dealing with.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be sure to focus on gaining knowledge about the brain and perhaps begin interning at a hospital with a neuropsychologist to be sure you have the capacity to work with a difficult population such as this.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
This job was originally part of my career plan. I had intended on getting my Ph.D. in neuropsychology but due to time and financial restrictions I have decided to go another route.
What are your current career goals?
My current goal is to obtain my Masters in Speech Language Pathology. I am scheduled to begin classes this Fall. I think this field would incorporate my neuroscience background to a broader field with more opportunities as well as being able to more directly help with treatment of patients instead of the more diagnostic aspects.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It’s an interesting job that I was luckily enough to obtain for fantastic experience that will be of great use to me in the future
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Research Assistant | 2 years | 16/hr | Helped with recruiting patients for a study testing the efficacy of a drug used for Alzheimers disease. Assisted with statistical analysis of data and scoring of neuropsychological tests. |
| Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.2
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.77 | Queens College | Psychology and Neuroscience |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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