RESULTS OF A JOB ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS WORKING IN STATE HOSPITALS

The graduate training of psychologists should prepare them for Central roles in state hospitals. especially roles involving direct patient c are and supervision of colleagues. To what extent do actual job practi ces match graduate preparation! To find out, 55 psychologists from 12 state hospitals in the Midwest were surveyed regarding their education al backgrounds and rime currently spent in various job activities. Res ults indicated that paperwork consumes more time than any other activi ty, followed by therapeutic services, psychological assessment, superv ision, and case management. Almost 50% oi the sample was trained under a cognitive-behavioral orientation: however, more than 60% of survey participants now practice according to eclectic models. These results imply that psychologists in these settings may not be utilized to thei r full potential because of a variety of organizational constraints. ( C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.