Health Policy: Timely and Interdisciplinary

As professional psychology becomes increasingly involved in providing healthcare services beyond traditional mental healthcare, the enactment of President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides a unique opportunity to shape the nation's rapidly evolving healthcare environment. The study of health policy should be incorporated into accreditation requirements for graduate psychology training, using the experience of nursing as an informative model. It is also critical to foster interdisciplinary team-based skills throughout clinical and research training. It is important that our next generation appreciate the unique language, culture, and history of the public policy process, as well as that of other disciplines. Engagement in public policy will ultimately improve patient care and expand psychology's role in promoting and serving the healthcare of the nation.