Wn. Robiner et Dp. Crew, Rightsizing the workforce of psychologists in health care: Trends from licensing boards, training programs, and managed care, PROF PSYCH, 31(3), 2000, pp. 245-263
The psychology workforce continues to expand despite changes within health
care, such as managed care, that appear to reduce the demand for psychologi
sts' services. Data from doctoral training and internship training are revi
ewed. Estimates of the psychology workforce are provided, including the aut
hors' survey of psychology boards for 1995, which estimated there were 89,5
14 licensed psychologists in the United States. Growth in the field between
1988 and 1995 is estimated at 44%. Workforce estimates are applied to 3 HM
O staffing models and population estimates, projecting a surplus of psychol
ogists in many states. The authors provide suggestions for reducing the wor
kforce, including improved monitoring of workforce size and reducing curren
t training levels.