Psychopharmacology is a broad and complex field concerned with the treatment of mental disorders. The experts in this field must be committed to continuous learning and keep up to date with the rapid advancements in the area. Learning goals for continuing education include k eeping up to date with the latest clinical developments and new findings in the field ; i mproving competence in clinical decision making ; i dentifying new approaches to treatment ; and u nderstand the pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics of psychotropic agents.
Available Resources
Professional organizations are the most useful providers of continuing education in psychopharmacology. They have a wide range of resources with information about emerging issues in the field. The main ones include the American P sychological A ssociation (APA), the Psychotherapy Networker and the American S ociety of C linical P sychopharmacology (ASCP). These organizations offer accredited Continuing Education (CE) in psychopharmacology programs on a wide range of topics and award credits. Furthermore, their materials are easily accessible through the internet, which eliminates the need to travel and saves on time.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
These organizations are critical sources of information at the point of care. For instance, APA and ASCP offer a wide range of data about new treatments, clinical trials and ways to handle difficult cases in their websites. The Psychotherapy Networker has an online directory that provides access to details and pricing for treatment and recovery programs by state (Psychotherapy Networker , 2020). The organizations also have free access to articles about ongoing case studies and current trends in the field, which can be useful at the point of care.
Reference books are also appropriate sources of routine clinical care information. Prescriber’s Guide by Stahl (2011) , is an invaluable source of clinical data. It contains essential details about psychiatric drugs arranged alphabetically, making it easier to look up. Other books with more details are useful resources to gain in-depth learning about psychopharmacology.
Conferences, symposiums, meetings and workshops are essential resources to learn about the latest advances in psychopharmacology. However, they are not feasible in terms of cost, travel and time, as they require payment to participate as well as travel and accommodation expenses. There are several upcoming conferences on psychopharmacology, but most are held outside the USA.
Newsletters and magazines are also essential sources of information on emerging trends in the field. They are produced by professional organizations weekly or monthly and usually feature most recent research discoveries and summaries. For instance, APA (2020) provides a monthly newsletter, APA Publishing Insider (API), that is freely available to subscribers. Psychotherapy Networker (2020) publishes magazines monthly at a fee of 18 dollars per year. Subscribers can also access it through the society’s mobile app that also features blogs and videos on developments in psychopharmacology.
Journals are useful tools for continuing education. They help one stay current with emerging issues in the field and gain an in-depth understanding of topics of interest. They contain the latest studies on the use of psychotropic medication, dosage, interactions and side effects as well as newly discovered medications. Journals are feasible resources for continuing learning because they are easily accessible through the internet at any time ( Langer, 2002). Besides, they are cost-effective since most publications have open access; cites like Sci-Hub allow users to access restricted articles freely.
Podcasts are ideal resources for gaining an in-depth understanding of particular topics. They are feasible since they are available freely on the internet for a reasonable period. Podcasts are more excellent tools for continuing education than books and journals because they do not entail reading; one only needs to listen ( Seitzinger, 2006). There are countless podcasts available freely on the internet. However, the most credible ones are those offered by accredited institutions like APA, American Psychiatry Association, University of Oxford and The University of Arizona.
Online courses are also useful ways to gain an in-depth understanding of psychopharmacology. They are available on the internet for a wide range of topics. APA, ASCP and the Psychotherapy Networker examples of organizations that offer online courses in psychopharmacology. While this tool is convenient for continuing education, it is not feasible because it costs a relatively high amount of money.
Continuing education plan
I will buy a copy of Stephen M. Stahl ’s Prescriber’s Guide to improve my competence in prescription. It contains all the essential information about psychiatric drugs arranged alphabetically, making it convenient for point of care use ( Stahl, 2011). I will also utilize APA and ASCP’s websites to look up information on new treatments, clinical trials and ways to handle difficult cases. The Psychotherapy Networker ’s online directory will be a useful source of details and pricing for treatment and recovery programs. With these resources, I should have become competent in making clinical decisions within three months.
Newsletter, magazines and journals will be my weekly and monthly learning resources. They provide essential sources of information on the latest clinical developments and ongoing clinical trials. I plan to subscribe to the monthly issues of APA’s newsletter (API) and Psychotherapy Networker’s magazine. The latter will cost 18 dollars per year and will require me to download the magazine’s mobile application ( Psychotherapy Networker, 2020). I also plan to subscribe to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (JCP) for weekly publications of results from original research, webcasts, brief reports and commentaries on psychopharmacology.
Conferences, symposiums, meetings and workshops are useful sources of information on psychopharmacology. I plan to attend the Psychotherapy Networker ’s annual symposium to be held in Washington, DC, in 2021. By booking before May, I will pay 459.99 dollars for four days, which is a 55% discount. It is expensive, but it will be a worthwhile investment, as I will gain renewed creativity and fresh ideas, as well as CE credits and certifications. The symposium will offer 150 workshops, each covering unique topics delivered by more than 100 experts in the field ( Psychotherapy Networker, 2020). By the end, I should have gained a holistic understanding of psychopharmacology. This will only be possible if I follow the routine, weekly and monthly plan described previously. I plan to attend APA’s annual conventions and ASCP’s yearly meetings in the future. The current cost of registration is too expensive.
References
A merican P sychology A ssociation . (2020). Continuing Education Programs in Psychology. Retrieved 13 April 2020, from https://www.apa.org/education/ce/
Langer, A. M. (2002). Reflecting on practice: Using learning journals in higher and continuing education. Teaching in higher education , 7 (3), 337-351.
Psychothapy Networker. (2020). Psychopharmacology - psychnetworker Continuing Education Catalog. Retrieved 13 April 2020, from https://catalog.psychotherapynetworker.org/category/psychopharmacology
Seitzinger, J. (2006). Be constructive: Blogs, podcasts, and wikis as constructivist learning tools. Learning solutions e-magazine , 31 , 1-12.
Stahl, S. M. (2011). The prescriber’s guide . Cambridge University Press.
https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/psychiatry/
https://crh.arizona.edu/news/2210/
ASCP. (2020). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Retrieved 13 April 2020, from https://ascpp.org/resources/psychiatry-resource/journal-of-clinical-psychiatry/
