Improving Geropsychology Competencies of Veterans Affairs Psychologists
Autor: | J. W. Terri Huh, Rachel L. Rodriguez, Christine E. Gould, B. Josea Kramer, Ashley N. Scales, Jeffrey J. Gregg |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
Male
media_common.quotation_subject 050109 social psychology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Older patients Perception Medicine Humans Psychology 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Veterans Affairs Qualitative Research media_common Aged Veterans Medical education business.industry Delivery of Health Care Integrated 05 social sciences Workforce development Mental health United States 030227 psychiatry Integrated care United States Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatrics Workforce Female Clinical Competence Curriculum Geriatrics and Gerontology business Educational program Program Evaluation |
Zdroj: | Journal of the American Geriatrics SocietyREFERENCES. 69(3) |
ISSN: | 1532-5415 |
Popis: | Older adults are more likely to seek mental health care through integrated care settings such as primary care. Currently, there exists a significant shortage of mental health providers trained in geropsychology and integrated care competencies. To address this need within the Veterans Health Administration, a national workforce development program was extended to include psychologists, which is called the Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Track (GSP-P). The GSP-P has two overarching educational program aims: (1) to improve geropsychology competencies of practicing VA psychologists, particularly those working within integrated settings (e.g., primary care) and (2) enrich psychologists' abilities to enact change in their clinical settings. Ninety-eight VA clinicians participated in the GSP-P, which includes a multi-day in-person course, from 2014 to 2018. Participants completed measures assessing confidence and self-reported knowledge in geropsychology and integrated care competencies pre-course and 3-months post-completion. Two-weeks post-course participants responded to open-ended survey questions regarding their perceptions of the course and potential applications of learning. Significant improvements in confidence in and knowledge of geropsychology and integrated care competencies emerged from pre-course to 3-months post-completion. Qualitative findings demonstrated that participants valued the face-to-face, integrated multimodal educational program. Findings provided insights regarding clinicians' planned application of the knowledge acquired, such as modifying treatments for older patients. Specialized workforce programs such as the GSP-P have a significant, positive impact on the care of older Veterans. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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