title: Survey to child/adolescent psychiatry and developmental/behavioral pediatric training directors to expand psychiatric-mental health training to nurse practitioners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is an ongoing shortage of child mental health professionals. Nurse practitioners (NPs) who completed behavioral and mental health training have proven that they can diagnose and manage many pediatric problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To ask the training directors of both child/adolescent psychiatry (CAP) and developmental/behavioral pediatric (DBP) programs about their receptivity and willingness to give additional training for NPs who provide care to children with behavioral and mental health issues and examine the main obstacles to the development of such programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was sent to 151 CAP and DBP training directors in the United States.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The return rate was 67% (N = 101). Only 12% expressed objection to the concept of additional NP training in CAP or DBP, but only 53% of training directors currently reported having sufficient faculty to do so. Some training directors reported already having advanced behavioral and mental health training programs for NPs (31%) and most (82%) would consider expanding, if funded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is support for advanced training for NPs, but funding is needed to make this a reality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expansion of such programs might rapidly improve accessibility and reduce waiting time of mental health providers for children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Inova Children's Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia.
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: O'Laughlen
authors.affiliation: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011570:Psychiatry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMNHNP); child/adolescent psychiatry; family nurse practitioner (FNP); mental health workforce shortage; pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP)