The Advent of Psychologists Receiving Prescription Privileges: Implications from the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 global pandemic has shifted the entire paradigm of medical care within the United States. Seemingly overnight a majority of practitioners adopted telehealth in some capacity to augment clinical care. As the start of 2021 approaches, it is important to both acknowledge the shortcomings that have been excavated from this pandemic in addition to actively encouraging medical professionals to address the lingering fault lines in the healthcare system.

The isolation and mental burdens placed on individuals from the pandemic will unequivocally impact the mental wellbeing of thousands of Americans. As such, the pre-existing shortage of providers present before the COVID-19 crisis will continue to exist as a growing disparity for years to come. The need for increased pharmacologic management by prescribers for psychological conditions must be brought to the forefront of conversation for practitioners and legislators alike. Though a topic of debate for several decades, the RxP Movement advocating for clinical psychologists to have prescriptive authority warrants discussion given the even more pressing nature of this debate in a post-COVID-19 setting.