The Workforce of Prescribing Psychologists: Too Small to Matter? Worth the Cost?

The prescriptive authority for psychologists (RxP) movement has been controversial. As of March 2024, 226 psychologists had prescriptive authority through the six states’ health regulatory boards that have enacted RxP. This limited uptake contrasts with other prescribing professions’ growth that more meaningfully addresses a psychiatric workforce shortage and warrants reevaluation of the RxP movement. Debates surrounding RxP have typically focused on the quality of training and other professional concerns. This article focuses on the quantity of prescribing psychologists. The comparatively small size of the prescribing psychologist workforce reveals its limited potential impact within the healthcare system. The relative limitations of the prescribing psychologist workforce cede supplementation of the psychiatry workforce to other professions with larger workforces that prescribe based on more comprehensive education and training and clinical experience.