Prescriptive Authority - APA Grad Student Fact Sheet

[edieb]

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The following link is cogent in regards to prescriptive authority for clinical psychologists. Being a 3rd year clinical PhD student in Louisiana, a state that just passed RxP, I am seeing so many exciting things happening in the psychology department: pre-doctoral training courses so students can prescribe when they leave graduate school (starting Fall '05), seeing the haughtiness disappear from the M.D.'s faces who used their script pad as a sign of their superiority, laws being enacted that allow for one patient to see one professional for all their mental health care (i.e., testing, psychotherapy, meds). I hope you'll read the below posted link:

http://www.apa.org/apags/profdev/prespriv.html

Being that many of the psychology grad students browse the psychiatry boards, I figure this would be a good place to post this link. If any of you want to become involved in the evolving prescriptive authority trend for psychologists, I exhort you to join Divison 55 of the APA. Every time a grad student joins, it raises membership in the division. The more members there are, the more votes the divison has in APA elections on how to allocate PAC funds. To join, go to APA.ORG. On the right side there is a link called "Divisions". Click on this link and scroll down to "Division 55 - Advancement for Pharmacotherapy." Thanks

 

[purpledoc]

The following link is cogent in regards to prescriptive authority for clinical psychologists...

Give me a break. You're a new user with less than 10 posts, dropping into the psychiatry forum and starting a "new" thread by insulting psychiatrists? Edieb, why don't you just take the time -- like everyone else has -- to read the entire thread already going in this forum on the topic of RxP, and contribute your opinions there. Are you too lazy, or did you just not notice it?

 

[edieb]

No, I noticed the thread and also noticed that many clinical students were on there. I started a new thread because many users will not want to wade through 10+ pages of debate, some of it being no more than name calling, to obtain the APA's position on RxP.

Give me a break. You're a new user with less than 10 posts, dropping into the psychiatry forum and starting a "new" thread by insulting psychiatrists? Edieb, why don't you just take the time -- like everyone else has -- to read the entire thread already going in this forum on the topic of RxP, and contribute your opinions there. Are you too lazy, or did you just not notice it?

 

[Anasazi23]

Get a life, and a clue. If psychology grad students are so brilliant enough to prescribe medications, I think they'd be bright enough to look in the psychology forum for their own needs.

Unlike psychologists who are fighting to keep a profession afloat, psychiatrists have a lot of other things on their mind such as *gasp* seeing a lot of patients - and not just reading about irrelevent idiocy in the APA monitor such as cross-cultural aspects of one-legged rollerskating nuns on feelings of discrimination and the like.

Since you don't mind being inappropriate and ill-minded in describing the "haughtiness" of physicians' faces, let me be (probably not the first) one to tell you....psychiatrists do not feel threatened by what will always be seen as a lower-level provider who prescribes medications to be the same as completing medical school and residency. While physicians have respect for PAs and NP, no one argues that it's a different level of care. It will be the same for you.

 

[50960]

...I have to agree with you about the APA monitor!!! LOL. I really think this person made a mistake posting this in the psychiatry section, but let's not assume it was anything other than ignorance and possibly excited impulsiveness.
The fact is psychologists will be prescribing, and they will be seen by medicine as mid-level practitioners...so what. There is plenty of room in the realm of mental health for others helping people in need; not everyone needs to see a psychiatrist. This argument is silly really. Psychiatrists will always be better trained to treat serious mental illness. Most people seeking seeking mental health services are not seriously mentally ill, and could be treated by RxP psychologists, regular psychologists w/ MD support, and many other psychotherapists and substance abuse counsellors.

😴

 

[JRB]

No, I noticed the thread and also noticed that many clinical students were on there. I started a new thread because many users will not want to wade through 10+ pages of debate, some of it being no more than name calling, to obtain the APA's position on RxP.

edieb,

You original post reflects an immaturity that only serves to invite name calling and inflammatory responding. We've already been through that on the other link, and now the discussions are focusing more appropriately on the real issues.

Unfortunately, your post only promotes EXACTLY what the physicians are complaining about; that psychologists do not understand the complex issues involved in prescribing. Why would you think a physician to be "haughty" when they are concerned about the quality of patient care? They have a right to be concerned, and the questions and concerns that are being raised are appropriate. A good psychologist, with good training, would recognize this.

JRB

 

[PublicHealth]

edieb,

You original post reflects an immaturity that only serves to invite name calling and inflammatory responding. We've already been through that on the other link, and now the discussions are focusing more appropriately on the real issues.

Unfortunately, your post only promotes EXACTLY what the physicians are complaining about; that psychologists do not understand the complex issues involved in prescribing. Why would you think a physician to be "haughty" when they are concerned about the quality of patient care? They have a right to be concerned, and the questions and concerns that are being raised are appropriate. A good psychologist, with good training, would recognize this.

JRB

That being said, I'd be curious to know which courses edie's clinical PhD program is adding to the predoctoral curriculum in preparation for RxP. I was under the impression that RxP training would be at the postdoctoral level. Edie, does the modified predoctoral program at your school (I imagine it's LSU?) allow you to enter MS programs in Clinical Psychopharmacology with advanced standing or does it eliminate the need to complete such a program altogether? You did mention that completion of your program would allow you to prescribe in fall '05. Also, could you comment on how the Louisiana public has responded to psychologist RxP?

Thank you!

 

[Anasazi23]

Do everybody here a favor and let the troll respond in the psychology forum so that we can discuss other, more "psychiatric" matters... I have to go practice dishaughtining my face. 🙄

 

[Svas]

Get a life, and a clue. If psychology grad students are so brilliant enough to prescribe medications, I think they'd be bright enough to look in the psychology forum for their own needs.

Wow, so much venom! Knowledge is good for everyone. There is ZERO benefit from running students off.

I would agree, however, that the larger thread is a MUCH better place to post this AND . . that the original post demonstrated a bit of "sophmoric like style." I'm sure he/she will mature - just like all the rest of us did.

Svas

 

[PublicHealth]

Do everybody here a favor and let the troll respond in the psychology forum so that we can discuss other, more "psychiatric" matters... I have to go practice dishaughtining my face. 🙄

Chill dude. I highly doubt that the OP meant to offend anyone in these forums. As mentioned above, let's return to the issues in the original thread.

Hope all is well with PGY1, Anasazi.

 

[doc05]

psychologists prescribing meds?? a sad, sad day...what sort of pharmacology education do they get anyhow??

 

[Svas]

psychologists prescribing meds?? a sad, sad day...what sort of pharmacology education do they get anyhow??

This has been discussed to death. Quoted, reviewed, etc., in one of the largest/longest threads in the history of TSD. Can I suggest that you go back and read through that thread.

My own take on THIS thread is that it's superfluous.

Svas

my 2 cents

 

[Anasazi23]

If I started a post in the psychology forum even remotely close to the insulting idiocy displayed by this half-wit, I'd be run out by everyone there and called a medical fundamentalist. When a post asked for people's opinions on the future of psychology, I posted a link that I came across foretelling clinical psychology's problems - I was told that I had "questionable motives" in posting it, even though I supported psychology in the post itself. Yet this guy gets a free pass? And don't say he hasn't got a free pass because he's been reprimanded by other posters. A psychiatrist posting an inflammatory post in the psychology thread would be hunted down by the psychology diversity/feelings brigade and strung up.

Yes I have venom toward this psychology grad student; it's exactly ignorant fools such as this that only serve to reinforce physicians' feelings about how psychologists are in this fight to serve their own egos, and nothing to do with access to underserved mental health patients. Yes, knowledge is good for everyone. However, this ridiculous "statement position" by the APA is less knowledge, and more over-generalized, grossly simplified, propagandized crap that has already been a) linked to in the other thread and b) discussed ad naseum with virtually nobody's opinions changing.

 

[Svas]

Yes I have venom toward this psychology grad student; it's exactly ignorant fools such as this that only serve to reinforce physicians' feelings about how psychologists are in this fight to serve their own egos, and nothing to do with access to underserved mental health patients. Yes, knowledge is good for everyone. However, this ridiculous "statement position" by the APA is less knowledge, and more over-generalized, grossly simplified, propagandized crap that has already been a) linked to in the other thread and b) discussed ad naseum with virtually nobody's opinions changing.

I agree that the statment was short-sighted. Dr. Williams (the author of the website statement) was apparently a student at the time she wrote this & had no psychopharm training. The statement was written no less than 4 years ago & appears to have been a reprint of something she wrote much longer ago.

Still, you're correct. It demonstrates limited awareness of the issues at hand (other than to comment on psychologists needing training). If the arguments for prescriptive authority really generally sounded like this, I would not be interested in hearing them and neither would anyone else (save some over ardent psychologists). In fact, I doubt that either NM or La. would have elected to allow prescriptive authority if this had been the mainstream of style or argument.

Still, I think this is better discussed on the other thread. It's my last post here.

Svas

 

[PublicHealth]

psychologists prescribing meds?? a sad, sad day...what sort of pharmacology education do they get anyhow??

EDUCATE YOURSELF.