Psychometrician

Duke University Hospital Neuropsychologist

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. The largest of the four Duke Health hospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

Location: Duke Neurology, 932 Morrene Rd., Durham, NC

Work Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (40 hours/week)

Occupational Summary

Perform routine and complex procedures to obtain clinical neurobehavioral data for use in diagnoses of neurological disorders. Data is collected utilizing standardized, objective test measures of cognition, and mood/personality when needed. This role requires extensive hours of direct patient contact, calling for a professional, enthusiastic, and service-oriented clinical data technician.

Key Responsibilities: Level I (Core Duties)

Test Administration & Patient Care

• Preparation: Verify the test menu order, prepare protocols, and transition the patient into testing after their interview with the neuropsychologist.
• Standardized Testing: Independently administer and score neuropsychological tests for neurological, psychiatric, or medical patients in accordance with lab policy (adhering to objective start, stop/discontinue, scoring, and conversion rules).
• Patient Experience: Ensure patient comfort throughout the lengthy testing process (typically 3-5 hours) and actively maximize patient test engagement and data validity.

Clinical Observation & Communication

• Behavioral Tracking: Complete a behavioral observations sheet on each patient, rating the integrity of vision, test engagement, motor functioning, etc.
• Clinical Escalation: Alert the supervising neuropsychologist to any challenges regarding test score validity (e.g., effort/test engagement, sensory/motor abnormalities, patient discomfort, or agitation).
• Routine Updates: Communicate regularly with the neuropsychologist about the patient's progress, time left, completion status, or any challenges.

Data Management

• Scoring & Entry: Convert all raw data to standardized, normed scores per protocol, summarize them in a data sheet, and perform accurate data entry into the clinical database.

Key Responsibilities: Level II (Advanced Duties)

Performs all duties of a Level 1 Psychometrician, plus the following advanced responsibilities:

Mentorship & Leadership

• Preceptor: Serve as a preceptor for employees moving into the Psychometrician role.
• Team Development: Assist in guiding the professional growth of others through modeling, coaching, and mentoring.

Specialized Clinical Testing

• Train and maintain competency to perform Pediatric/Adolescent studies.
• Train and maintain competency to perform studies for patients admitted to the hospital (inpatient).
• Train and maintain competency to perform testing for specialized populations (e.g., Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), epilepsy, and special testing needs).

Department Operations & Projects Responsible for the completion of at least 3 departmental operational tasks, which may include:

• Patient scheduling, appointment reminders, charge capture, and reconciliation.
• Maintaining protocol inventory.
• Active participation in research projects (must demonstrate involvement each quarter, e.g., ACT/NFL).
• Participation in the development and oversight of Performance Improvement (PI) projects or Quality Assurance (QA) processes under the direct supervision of the department manager.
• Leading daily team huddles or chairing an internal departmental committee.
• Submitting an article/poster for publication or leading at least one Clinical Neuropsychology (CNS) in-service.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong interviewing and interpersonal skills
• Data analysis, statistical analysis, and statistical reporting
• Knowledge of lab procedures and evoked potential
• Proficiency in PC word processing and clinical database software

Minimum Qualifications

Education (Levels I & II)

• Required: Bachelor's Degree (B.S. or B.A.).
• Preferred: Degree in psychology, biology, or a related field.

Experience

• Level I: Minimum of 6 months of experience in a healthcare setting. (Note: A Master's degree in biology, psychology, or a related field may be substituted for up to 2 years of experience).
• Level II: Minimum of 2 years working specifically as a Psychometrician.

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications

• No formal certification is required. All work is conducted under the direct supervision of licensed Ph.D.-level neuropsychologists.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.