In this article, we argue that interprofessional competencies are increasingly necessary to achieving success in all facets of a professional psychologist's work. We note that the growing complexity of health challenges facing Canadians requires a renewed investment in interprofessional care and interdisciplinary research. We define key terms and discuss significant national and international trends toward interprofessional, competency-based training in health professional education. In Canada, psychology has been largely absent from these efforts, and we identify barriers that may be inhibiting psychology's participation in interprofessional education (IPE). We describe a model for integrating competency-based IPE across the continuum of professional training, and provide an example of the model's implementation. We then offer a number of recommendations for the future of professional psychology training and argue that involvement in high-quality IPE should be a program and internship accreditation requirement. Finally, we conclude by discussing the implications for the future of psychology as a health care profession if we fail to modify our current training model. Public Significance StatementThis article argues that interprofessional competencies are increasingly necessary to achieving success in all facets of a professional psychologist's work; however, there is currently no requirement for professional psychology programs to teach or assess these vital competencies. We describe a model for integrating competency-based Interprofessional Education (IPE) across the continuum of professional training, provide an example of the model's implementation, and discuss recommendations for incorporating IPE into accreditation standards. Failure to decisively champion IPE may result in reduced access to psychological services for Canadians in the future, and may limit the capacity of psychology graduates to provide safe and effective care.

Purpose Students pursuing higher education and health professional (HP) programs (e.g., nursing, pharmacy, social work, medicine) experience stressors including academic pressures, workload, developing professional competencies, professional socialization, the hidden curriculum, entering clinical practice and navigating relationships with colleagues. Such stress can have detrimental effects on HP students physical and psychological functioning and can adversely affect patient care. This study examined the role of perceived social support and resilience in predicting distress of Atlantic Canadian HP students during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared the findings to a pre-COVID population of age and sex matched Canadians. Method Second year HP students (N = 93) completed a survey assessing distress, perceived social support, and resilience and open-ended questions on student awareness of supports and counselling available to them, their use/barriers to the services, and the impact of COVID-19 on their personal functioning. HP student responses were also compared with age and sex matched Canadian peers from data collected prior to COVID-19. Results It was found that HP students reported moderate to severe psychological distress, and while they reported high levels of social support on a measure of perceived social support they also reported that the COVID-19 pandemic made them feel isolated and that they lacked social support. It was found that the sample of HP students reported significantly higher psychological distress than the mean scores of the age and sex matched sample of Canadian peers. Conclusions These findings call for creation of more tailored interventions and supports for HP students.

Students pursuing higher education and health professional (HP) programs (e.g., nursing, pharmacy, social work, medicine) experience stressors including academic pressures, workload, developing professional competencies, professional socialization, the hidden curriculum, entering clinical practice and navigating relationships with colleagues. Such stress can have detrimental effects on HP students physical and psychological functioning and can adversely affect patient care. This study examined the role of perceived social support, coping, and resilience in predicting distress of Atlantic Canadian HP students during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared the findings to a pre-COVID population of age and sex matched Canadians. Second year HP students (N = 93) completed a survey assessing distress, perceived social support, and resilience and open-ended questions on student awareness of supports and counselling available to them, their use/barriers to the services, and the impact of COVID-19 on their personal functioning. HP student responses were also compared with age and sex matched Canadian peers from data collected prior to COVID-19. It was found that HP students reported moderate to severe psychological distress, and while they reported high levels of social support on a measure of perceived social support they also reported that the COVID-19 pandemic made them feel isolated and that they lacked social support. It was found that the sample of HP students reported significantly higher psychological distress than the mean scores of the age and sex matched sample of Canadian peers. These findings call for creation of more tailored interventions and supports for HP students.