Should Psychologists Be Allowed To Prescribe Medication Essay

Currently, as of 2017, only four states in America allow psychologist to prescribe medication. For most of the other states, in order for a psychologist to be able to prescribe medication, he/she must obtain a medical degree, complete residency, and be board certified. The debate in whether psychologist should be granted prescription privileges without having to obtain a medical degree, has been argued frequently for about the past decade. Although there are a lot of people who are all for allowing psychologist to prescribe medication, there are also a substantial amount of people who disagree with this idea. In the four states that have passed a law permitting psychologist to prescribe medication, Louisiana, New Mexico, Iowa, and Illinois, there is a detailed list that explains the additional requirements that psychologists must undergo to receive such privilege. In place of going to medical school, each of the mentioned states developed its own specific educational requirement that psychologists must complete in order to be legally allowed to prescribe medicine. In Louisiana, psychologists must complete a master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology (“About Prescribing

For current medical professionals, it takes four years of medical school, not to mention experience in clinical practice, to fully master the skills and knowledge required to prescribe medication. After completion of medical school and residency at a hospital or clinic. In order to be allowed to prescribe medication, one must pass the board exams and become board certified. Comparably to that of what psychologists receives, even if he/she completed the requirements for the states that do allow psychologists to prescribe medication, the amount of hours spent at a hospital and the amount of hours spent practicing, is highly