- Do you love problem-solving, science and helping others?

Or have you ever wondered about how the human brain works?

If so, you may be perfect for a career in the medical field, specifically, neuropsychology.

In neuropsychology, you can look into the brain without cutting it open.

The tests that we give measure how the brain is doing and answers the question of how we think, how we solve problems, and even why it is we feel the way that we do.

Hi, I'm Dr. Chiarina Owens, and I'm the Director of Neuropsychology at Dayton Children's Hospital.

Neuropsychology involves the assessment of the link between the health of someone's brain and nervous system and their overall functioning.

Today, we're going to take an inside look at what I do every day.

We'll meet a patient, check out some cool technology, and learn how we do patient evaluations.

As the Director of Neuropsychology, my job has two parts.

I oversee program development, meaning that I hire, train and supervise staff, and the other part of my job is clinical, meaning that I work with patients.

As a neuropsychologist, I evaluate children with known or suspected CNS injury.

CNS means the brain and the spinal cord.

A lot of time goes into patient evaluations.

I learn about a child by checking their medical records, their school records, and their psychosocial history that's provided by their parents.

That's when their parents tell me when they learned to walk and talk, how they're doing in school, what they like and what they don't like.

And then at the very end, the parents will tell me what their concerns and worries are and I give hope that we will find a way to improve their child's wellbeing.

(bright music continues) There are many reasons why someone might need to see a neuropsychologist.

There are medical conditions and related treatments that impact the brain, such as cancer, blood disorders, traumatic brain injuries, seizures, and toxic exposure.

When the brain is injured by a medical condition, the patient's ability to navigate the world changes because of the brain's link to thinking, learning, behavior, and emotions.

Neuropsychological evaluations give us important information about the specific areas of the brain that have been impacted.

The information we gather tells us about the patient's strengths and challenges so we can guide their parents, teachers and medical providers to help improve the quality of life for each patient.

As you see, I get to do a lot of interesting things every day, but my favorite part of my job is teaching people about the brain, what it does, how it impacts thoughts and feelings, and how to keep it healthy.

My job, it's hard work, but I like to have fun too.

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, relaxing on the beach, playing music, and playing with my Portuguese water dog, Duffy.

The job I have allows me to do and afford all the things I love, and neuropsychologists can make $150,000 a year.

(bright music continues) You'll need a lot of education for this career but you can do it by getting started now.

It's worth it.

This field gives you lots of interesting job choices, flexible hours, and many ways to help others.

So if you choose this career, be ready to study and work hard.

And if you're interested in this field, my advice to you is be curious, look things up, work hard in your classes, and find friends who want to do great things and who encourage you to be the best you can be.

As you can see, neuropsychology can be a very rewarding and fun career, and it lets you give back to your community by helping others.

I hope you enjoyed learning with me.

See you next time.

(bright music continues)