Can Interprofessional Training Alleviate the Psychiatric Provider Shortage?

Patients with mental health challenges, in the US and around the world, are facing a severe shortage of psychiatric providers. In the United States, over half of the psychiatry workforce is approaching retirement, which will further exacerbate the situation, and yet there are not enough psychiatrists being trained to replace them. New solutions are needed to ensure that patients can access care. We present a model for interprofessional training, currently being implemented at UCSF, which is designed to build professional relationships between psychiatric nurse practitioner and clinical pharmacy trainees. We aim to prepare them to work collaboratively to serve larger panels of complex patients with mental health disorders, both now and in the future. We also present our approach to evaluation of trainee, preceptor, and patient outcomes.


Funded in part by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (Accelerating Cohort Member).