Issue Brief 76: Preparing Future Pediatricians to Address Behavioral Health Needs of Children
Preparing Future Pediatricians to Address Behavioral Health Needs of Children:
Opportunities in Pediatric Residency Training Programs
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has increasingly called on pediatric primary care providers
to recognize and treat patients with common behavioral health disorders. However, pediatricians indicate concerns about their capacity to do so. In a recent survey conducted by the AAP, pediatricians reported lack of training and confidence in their ability to address behavioral health disorders.
Pediatric residency training programs, which prepare pediatricians, family physicians and nurse practitioners to deliver care to children, require extensive training in primary care and are the ideal place to better prepare future child health providers to address common behavioral health disorders. Pediatric residency training is the period of graduate medical education that offers in-depth training designed to confer the knowledge and skills required for comprehensive pediatric health care.
This Issue Brief discusses the important role of pediatric primary care providers to recognize and treat patients with common behavioral health disorders, and offers information about hands-on training experiences for these providers.
This Issue Brief was prepared by former Senior Associate for Health Initiatives at CHDI, Susan Macary.