Our journal has published several articles over the past few years pointing out gaps in the training of future pediatricians in the area of behavioral and mental health problems in children and initiatives to remedy these gaps, including building the knowledge and skills into core competencies and entrustable professional activities expected for board certification eligibility and examination. How are we doing since the need to prepare pediatricians to meet the mental health needs of patients has resulted in this call to action? Green et al (10.1542/peds.2019-2884) share with us the self-reported competency of pediatric residents in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of behavioral and mental health (B/MH) conditions at the time that residents sat for their initial certifying examination in 2018.
2,086 residents responded to the survey (62% response rate). One-third reported feeling highly competent in assessment skills and about 20% in treatment skills. If you are a pessimist, you might bemoan the fact that the highly competent numbers are so small. But if you are more of an optimist as Drs. Poynter, McNeal Trice and Gonzalez del Rey (from Cincinnati Children’s and UNC) are in an accompanying commentary (10.1542/peds.2020-0805), it is important to note that the highly competent self-ratings are much improved from a similar survey done in 2007. The fact that trainees in smaller programs view themselves as more highly competent than those in larger programs suggests that we need to better understand what it is about behavioral and mental health training in smaller programs that could be incorporated into medium or larger-sized programs as well. Perhaps, after reading this study and commentary, you’ll be as optimistic as those who authored this study and commentary about how our training programs are teaching the next generation of pediatricians the competencies needed to be knowledgeable and skilled in meeting the behavioral and mental health needs of our patients.
