Workforce Recommendations

Out of the dire shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists practicing in the U.S. comes new recruitment recommendations from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Task Force on Work Force Needs:

• Each child and adolescent psychiatry program should offer mentoring both to medical students and residents.

• Child and adolescent psychiatrists should form liaisons with national organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Medical students and general psychiatry residents should be exposed to child and adolescent psychiatry early on in their education.

• To enhance professional exposure of child and adolescent psychiatrists as specialists, they should be trained to form relationships with local and national news agencies.

• Undergraduate and medical students should be asked to get involved in paid summer research programs in child and adolescent psychiatry.

• The creation of new children’s mental health programs and funding for child and adolescent psychiatry research training should be sought.