Core competencies in clinical neuropsychology training across the world

Abstract

All the models have undergone years of development in accordance with requirements of national health care systems in different parts of the world. Despite differences, the common core competency requirements across different regions of the world suggest generalizability of these competencies. We hope this summary can be useful as countries with less established neuropsychology training programs develop their models.

Training models and status of clinical neuropsychologists in Europe: Results of a survey on 30 countries

“…A model where universities provide the theoretical courses and collaborate with health care providers offering the practical training opportunities may strengthen the research-based foundations of practice and bridge the gap between academia and the clinical world. Research experience has been considered an integral part of specialist education in many programs, both in Europe and US (Hannay, 1998;Hessen et al, 2018). Traditionally, national psychological associations and neuropsychological societies have been active providers of continuing education, which was also evident in this survey.…”

“…This can be considered the minimum. The present survey did not ask about the content of teaching or competencies acquired during studies, but in a recent comparative study on competencies across the globe, a picture of similar competency structures emerged in a representable sample of countries where clinical neuropsychology is well established as a specialty within health care (Hessen et al, 2018). The study suggests a transferrable list of learning objectives and advanced competencies expected at the time of entry into the profession.…”

“…Despite 30 countries responding, cross-tabulated group sizes in analyses were small, hampering the power of the analyses. Also, as the roles and responsibilities of each health profession have developed gradually in a historical context (Hessen et al, 2018), changes in the educational model may take a long time to change these hierarchies.…”

Clinical Neuropsychology as a Specialist Profession in European Health Care: Developing a Benchmark for Training Standards and Competencies Using the Europsy Model?

“…Despite current evidence of the growing necessity for qualified health services regarding cognitive, affective, and behavioral consequences of long-term neurological conditions and psychopathological conditions, the training of specialists in Clinical Neuropsychology throughout the world, and even in Europe, is remarkably uneven. Only a minority of European countries, also in high-income regions, provide systematic high-level specialist training in Clinical Neuropsychology, as required for diagnosis and treatment of disorders described in the international classifications of diseases, namely ICD-10 and DSM V ( Grote and Novitski, 2016 ; Hessen et al, 2018 ; Hokkanen et al, 2019 ). Both in France and in Spain, one of the top perceived barriers to the development of neuropsychology was reported to be the lack of clinical and academic training opportunities ( Olabarrieta-Landa et al, 2016 ; Lopes et al, 2019 ).…”

“…With the increasing prevalence of these disorders ( World Health Organization, 2006 ; Feigin et al, 2019 ), the demand for health professionals with expertise both in assessment and treatment of these patients has also increased. Among those working in this field, the extensive training and core competencies of Clinical Neuropsychologists make them well suited to respond to the demand ( Lezak et al, 2012 ; Hessen et al, 2018 ).…”