The Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination: accuracy of the "screen-metric" approach in a clinical sample.

This study assessed the accuracy of the "screen" versus "metric" portions of eight subtests of the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (NCSE). As part of a routine hospital assessment, 95 male patients were administered both portions of the instrument regardless of outcome on the screen. Results indicate that the screen items of some of the NCSE subtests produced a relatively high false negative rate, where the screen was passed, but the metric was failed. It is recommended that all items of the subtests be administered to more fully assess each domain and, therefore, reduce the probability of overlooking significant deficits.

Expanded norms for the Controlled Oral Word Association Test.

The Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) is a measure of a person's ability to make verbal associations to specified letters (i.e., C, F, and L). This measure is a useful component of a neuropsychological battery as it is able to detect changes in word association fluency often found with various disorders. In order to generate current norms for the elderly and aid in interpreting their performance, the COWAT was administered to a group of community-dwelling elderly persons. Information regarding total numbers of words produced as well as frequency of perseverations, breaking set, using the same word stem, and using a proper noun is provided.

Selection criteria for APA-accredited internships stratified by type of site and competitiveness.

As the internship marketplace becomes more competitive, doctoral students and faculty of professional psychology programs must become more knowledgeable of the selection criteria used by APA-accredited internship sites. Clinical experience was identified as one of the most important criteria used for selection by all respondents. However, criteria used by medical schools, university counseling centers, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, the three largest suppliers of internships, and by sites reporting low, medium, or high competitiveness appeared to vary as a function of the unique characteristics of the sites.

Vertical integration in medical settings: A brief introduction to its potential effects on professional psychology.

Vertical integration in medical settings typically involves the merging of independent physicians, physician groups, and hospitals to render an organized health care network. Such systems are considered to be vertical, as they may allow for a seamless continuation of services throughout the range of needs a patient may require. Mergers often result in the redefining of professional services offered in the acquired facility or across the network. As such, mergers have the potential of adversely impacting psychological practices. Professional psychology needs to take a proactive stance in this changing health care landscape. Research regarding empirically validated treatments and effects of psychological interventions on overall health-care costs needs to be properly disseminated to health care administrators to assure their knowledge of the utility of psychological services in the medical setting. Training psychologists to assume leadership positions in health-care institutions, gaining representation on hospital staff boards, and linking psychologists and physicians through collaborative training, to provide improved care, may allow for psychology to influence health care delivery.