What is needed are clinicians who are properly educated to begin to fill the gap. As such, the workforce challenges of this integration represent a significant opportunity, especially for PAs and NPs. With the exception of physicians, who are in increasingly limited supply, there are no other health care professionals who have the capability to bridge the gap between primary care and mental health. To meet the projected workforce needs, PAs and NPs will have to make a significant commitment to gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to treat mental health problems.
There are a number of excellent entry-level psychiatric nurse practitioner programs that prepare NPs to provide both primary and mental health care. However, most entry-level PA programs don’t have the time to do more than skim the surface of mental health care as they prepare students to begin practice as broadly educated generalist caregivers.
Fortunately, about three years ago, the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) began to recognize the qualifications and promote the need for PAs with advanced skills in psychiatry and mental health. As of December 2013, almost 100 PAs had successfully received a Certificate of Advanced Qualification (CAQ) in psychiatry from the NCCPA. The nation needs more than 0.1% of all PAs with a credential that recognizes their expertise in mental health. It is time to set an aggressive goal of having 1% of all PAs with a CAQ in psychiatry within the next five years.
Any PA or NP planning their future should give serious consideration to the overwhelming demand for practitioners who can effectively link primary care and mental health. This opportunity for individuals is a current reality. But even greater is the opportunity for the professions to claim a very meaningful and needed position on the health care teams of the future.
I hope you agree. Please share your thoughts with me via CRNewsEditor@frontlinemedcom.com.