Workshop Introduction

 About the Presenter

 Register On-line

Print Registration Form

Download Brochure


Workshop Description

This workshop provides a detailed description of the psychological tools most frequently used by public safety departments to ensure safe and effective job performance from their employees.

Pre-employment psychological examinations are routinely used by police, fire, and other public safety departments to screen new-hire job applicants for psychological characteristics that might limit their safety or effectiveness.

Fitness-for-duty examinations (FFDEs) are used to assess incumbent employees who are having problems that may reasonably be related to underlying mental health conditions and are likely to effect job performance.

This workshop will present a methodology of assessment that is guided by validational research studies and 20 years of clinical experience. Specific tests and test results will be described, and case examples presented. Means of identifying potential FFDE issues will be considered. Relevant legal cases that have bearing on when, how, and under what circumstances employees should be examined will be discussed.

This workshop will teach administrators how to get the most out of the psychological evaluation process in order to make the best hiring decisions and ensure that incumbent employees perform safely and effectively.

 

Learning Objectives

Morning Session
Pre-Employment Evaluations

Participants will learn :

  • the history and purposes of pre-employment screening
  • POST and IACP exam guidelines
  • how to determine the psychological characteristics most important to measure
  • the special importance of measuring integrity
  • how to select the best methods and tests to use
  • results of recent construct and predictive validity studies
  • unique methods of test interpretation for public safety applicants
  • what information should be in written reports
  • the importance of issues related to adverse impact
  • how bottom-line recommendations for hiring are derived
  • how to apply these principles to specific case examples
  • how to communicate with your psychologist to maximize your hiring outcomes

Afternoon Session
Fitness-for-Duty Examinations (FFDEs)

Participants will learn :

  • the differences between FFDE and pre-employment exams
  • the most frequent “red flags” for referring an employee for an FFDE
  • when to refer for an FFDE vs. counseling
  • about the specific methods and tests used
  • IACP exam guidelines
  • possible outcomes of an FFDE
  • the most common recommendations to help employees return to fitness
  • how to get employees back to work as soon as possible without compromising safety
  • outcomes of legal cases that help guide the referral and examination process
  • issues related to the ADA and FMLA
  • how to apply these principles to specific case examples
    		•