Faculty Collaboration Database

2015 American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) student affairs committee survey of neuropsychology trainees. Clin Neuropsychol 2016 Jul;30(5):664-94

Date

06/28/2016

Pubmed ID

27348787

DOI

10.1080/13854046.2016.1196731

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84977124933 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   12 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Surveys of practicing neuropsychologists have been conducted for years; however, there have been no comprehensive surveys of neuropsychology trainees, which may result in important issues being overlooked by the profession. This survey assessed trainees' experiences in areas such as student debt, professional development, and training satisfaction.

METHOD: Survey items were written by a task force of the AACN Student Affairs Committee (SAC), and neuropsychology trainees were recruited via neuropsychology-focused listservs. In total, 344 trainees completed the survey (75% female) and included participants from every region of the US and Canada.

RESULTS: Based on the survey questions, nearly half of all trainees (47%) indicated financial factors were the greatest limitation in their training. Student debt had a bimodal distribution; 32.7% had minimal debt, but 45% had debt >$100,000. In contrast, expected starting salaries were modest, but consistent with findings ($80-100,000). While almost all trainees intended to pursue board certification (97% through ABPP), many were 'not at all' or only 'somewhat' familiar with the process.

CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated additional critical concerns beyond those related to debt and lack of familiarity with board certification procedures. The results will inform SAC conference programming and the profession on the current 'state of the trainees' in neuropsychology.

Author List

Whiteside DM, Guidotti Breting LM, Butts AM, Hahn-Ketter AE, Osborn K, Towns SJ, Barisa M, Santos OA, Smith D

Author

Alissa Butts PhD Associate Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Advisory Committees
Canada
Certification
Education, Graduate
Female
Goals
Humans
Internship and Residency
Male
Neuropsychology
Salaries and Fringe Benefits
Socioeconomic Factors
Students
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States