General and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Resident Training in Integrated Care: a Survey of Program Directors

Integrated care models are an evidence-based approach for integrating physical and behavioral health services. The American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training Integrated Care Task Force sought to describe current practices for providing training in integrated care to general and child and adolescent psychiatry residents.

Directors of US general and child and adolescent psychiatric residency training programs were anonymously surveyed to examine current practices in educating their residents in integrated care. Based on themes that emerged from the survey, the authors make recommendations for integrated care education of general and child and adolescent psychiatry residents.

Fifty-two of 197 (26%) general and 36 of 111 (32%) child and adolescent program directors responded. Results demonstrate that a majority of responding general psychiatry (78%) and child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) (72%) training programs offer integrated care rotations, many of which are electives for senior residents. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) and Federally Qualified Health Centers are common venues for such rotations. Sustainable funding of these rotations is a concern. Fewer than half of programs offer integrated care didactics.

This report is intended to help program directors consider options for starting or optimizing their own integrated care curricula. Future research should examine the educational value, and the overall value to health care systems, of training in the integrated care model.