Training Interns to Tackle the Toughest Cases in Pediatric Psychology: Complex Healthcare Systems

Abstract

Given the complexity and ever-changing landscape of health care, the need for new and varied training experiences in systems-level issues is increasingly evident. At Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the training program strives to teach interns not only the content and skills of clinical care, but the process of applying these skills in our evolving health care system. This article describes several aspects of our internship program that are designed to contribute to competency in the systems domain. These include didactic and experiential components across a range of settings. It also describes a benchmarks approach to evaluating trainee progress in reaching appropriate milestones in this domain, and outlines challenges facing training programs that are trying to support trainee competency in the systems domain.

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