There are comments on the Psychology Profession Act. "A new education strategy is needed."
- Participants of the joint meeting of the Parliamentary Groups for Diseases of the Central Nervous System, for Rare Diseases and for Children discussed the shortage of neuropsychologists and the need to train psychologists prepared to work with patients
- Psychologists play an important role in neurology, not only in supporting patients and their families, but primarily in the strictly diagnostic area. They should be prepared for this as part of their undergraduate education, said Professor Bartosz Karaszewski.
- We should widely promote education in health psychology and adopt a strategy for creating such programs - said Dr. Magdalena Błażek from the Medical University of Gdańsk.
- It would be very good if the provisions of the act on the profession of psychologist supported the field of health psychology, thus reflecting the real needs of health care - she assessed
- In the daily work of a large neurological center that diagnoses and treats a large number of patients, and from this perspective I look at it, psychologists play an important role, not only in supporting patients and their families, but mainly in the strictly diagnostic, and therefore clinical, area - said Prof. Bartosz Karaszewski , national consultant in the field of neurology, in the Sejm at a joint meeting of the Parliamentary Teams for Diseases of the Central Nervous System, for Rare Diseases and for Children.
"Innovative therapies are emerging in neurology, so we desperately need early and precise diagnosis, which will be difficult to achieve without good medical training for psychologists . However, different universities, depending on their profile, expertise, and infrastructure, prepare them differently. However, my experience clearly shows that medical school graduates are better prepared and are able to begin specific work with patients in neurology clinics more quickly," the national consultant pointed out.
He noted that the signals he had received showed that the draft law on the profession of psychologist currently under consideration did not fully encourage the provision of health psychology courses.
- This is our main concern now, because we have to take care of this format of education for psychologists - emphasized Professor Karaszewski.
"Why is this so important? The descriptions of services reimbursed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) specify the competencies required for those providing them. National consultants in specific fields will need to clarify these competencies when reviewing some of these services. This also applies to neurology, where either a psychologist or a clinical psychology specialist will be listed for the service, " the expert explained.
" If many universities educate psychologists at the undergraduate level who are prepared to work with patients, there will be no need to include the term clinical psychologist in the definition of services . Otherwise, the provision of services may be blocked due to the insufficient number of these specialists. This is the main issue that will need to be resolved, and it is important that it is reflected in the law," argued Professor Karaszewski.
Dr. Magdalena Błażek from the Medical University of Gdańsk, head of the Department of Psychology, the Department of Quality of Life Research, and the health psychology program, reminded us that psychology encompasses a variety of topics. Placing it solely within the social sciences does not fully encompass the functioning of this profession, which also encompasses health and medical sciences.
"After completing a long-cycle master's degree, psychologists begin working in a wide variety of settings, often including health-related institutions. That's why the Medical University of Gdańsk offers a program in health psychology, which educates psychologists specifically dedicated to the health field, with one of the study paths focusing on neuropsychology," said Dr. Błażek.
"Because I communicate with our graduates' employers, both during their internships and later, I know they are very satisfied with their services. This stems from the fact that we have 30% more hours dedicated to various biomedical aspects in our education . Our students have significantly more classes and the medical infrastructure to support them. They have the opportunity to demonstrate and test their competencies in clinical departments and observe various procedures. This pays off," she emphasized.
"Therefore, we should promote health psychology education very widely. We should adopt a strategy for creating such programs, especially since healthcare facilities need psychologists, who are an important part of diagnostic teams," Dr. Błażek pointed out.
"It's also worth noting that in many Western European countries, psychology is classified as a health science, not a social science . Therefore, the draft law on the psychology profession should perhaps be considered from this perspective as well. It would be very beneficial if the provisions of the law supported the field of health psychology, thus reflecting the actual needs of healthcare," the expert assessed.
As Prof. Alicja Chybicka said, the problem is that, apart from GUMed, medical universities do not train psychologists.
"This is probably due to the fact that in Poland they have only recently appeared with patients. However, it's time to recognize that times have changed, and every field of medicine needs psychologists trained in a given subspecialty. In medicine, there is only room for professionals," she argued.
Marta Kutniewska-Kubik from the Polish Psychological Association addressed the issue of too few clinical psychologists .
" The number of these specialists would increase if this specialization were funded . Currently, it is exclusively commercial, and psychology graduates cannot always afford to begin lengthy and expensive training immediately after graduation," she noted.
Aleksander Raś of the Polish National Trade Union of Psychologists recalled that the OZZP has repeatedly advocated for bonuses for hiring clinical psychologists and higher valuations for the services these specialists provide . If this demand were met, there would be no threat of service disruptions.
" There aren't that many clinical psychologists. Many of them simply don't work in public healthcare for financial reasons . Meanwhile, they're desperately needed not only in adult neurology, but also in neurological rehabilitation wards and pediatric wards," emphasized Aleksander Raś.
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