Q & A with Morgan T. Sammons, PhD, ABPP, Executive Officer of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists
Earlier this year, the National Register of Health Service Psychologists released the Integrated Healthcare Training Series. This series features 41 videos averaging about 16 minutes each. The videos cover theory and models of integrated care, practice and implementation issues, and the medical, pharmacological and psychosocial management of specific conditions. I emailed Dr. Sammons to discuss the series. CFHA members can receive a 50% discount on the entire video series. Click here for more information.
1. Tell us about the National Register Integrated Care Video Series. How did these get started?
The National Register has long recognized integrated care as an important and forward-looking practice area. We’ve published articles on integrated care going back to the mid-2000s but a few years ago the Board of Directors started discussing a more comprehensive training program. When I took over as Executive Officer in 2014, developing this series was one of my top priorities. In some ways, it was fortunate that this sort of visual, self-paced training in integrated care didn’t really exist at the time, and we generated a lot of enthusiasm in the community. Happily, we were able to line up fantastic presenters including Parinda Khatri, Kent Corso, Jeff Goodie, Jeff Reiter, Bob McGrath, Marlin Hoover, Neftali Serrano, and more.
2. The videos cover a lot of ground, from models and concepts to pharmacological management. What do you hope members will gain from these videos?
First, I hope our psychologists (and other professionals accessing the series) will get a basic understanding of practicing in an integrated care environment. Some of our newest members may have been exposed to these concepts during their graduate education and training, but many of our 10,000 psychologists have had no training or exposure in integrated care fundamentals. At the same time, our survey data show a sharp increase in the percentage of our psychologists working in organized healthcare delivery systems. With some uncertainty surrounding healthcare reform and the challenges of starting a private practice these days, we expect that percentage to continue to rise. Beyond the conceptual aspects of training, we also knew there was a need to expose psychologists to management of various conditions in integrated care — such as pain management, arthritis, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse to name a few — and to present the care concepts from a psychosocial, medical, and pharmacological lens.
3. Workforce development is a challenge for many clinics wanting to offer integrated care. What role do you think videos play in preparing individuals for integrated care?
We’ve been very pleased with the utilization by our members, and been successful in licensing the series to a number of healthcare organizations. So the first step — getting these videos in front of our target audience — is moving along nicely. We can always do better, but we are pleased so far. As noted above, these videos were designed to be easily digestible, self-paced learning. Think Ted Talks. We view this training as a first or second step for providers, not the final step. But the videos do provide a fundamental level of knowledge and should be a springboard to more comprehensive training and, of course, experience.
4. Finally, who should consider accessing these videos?
The series was primarily developed for psychologists (and the presenters are primarily psychologists as well). However, we’ve had a great reaction from other professionals, specifically social workers and counselors. I think it fair to say the videos are universally applicable to mental healthcare professionals.
In terms of utilization, psychologists who are credentialed by the National Register have access to the entire series, free of charge. We also make the series available for free to the students participating in our Trainee Register. The videos are available at a cost to psychologists and other healthcare providers who are not credentialed by the National Register ($200 for access to the entire series which includes continuing education credits). Given our close relationship with CFHA, we’ve offered CFHA members a 50% discount on the series (go to CE.NationalRegister.org and use coupon code CFHA50).
As noted above, we’ve also signed licensing agreements with healthcare organizations. Anyone interested in discussing licensing should contact Andrew Boucher (andrew@nationalregister.org).
