Methods of Assessing Scientific Competency in Health Service Psychology Master's Programs

The growing need for health service psychology (HSP) practitioners in the United States is unlikely to be filled by doctoral providers given the time and cost necessary to train psychologists. The shortage may be better addressed by master's-level providers. However, master's-level training presents unique challenges compared to doctoral training such as shorter training periods and greater variability in training experiences. While doctoral training has been moving toward a competency-based training model, master's-level training can also benefit from adopting competency-based assessments. Moreover, we put forward that scientific competence is imperative to ethical and effective master's-level practice. To support the competency-based assessment movement in HSP master's programs, we outline assessment methods for scientific competence that can be feasibly and practically adopted by diverse training programs. Public Significance Statement The increasing need for mental health providers is most likely to be addressed by master's-level practitioners. Importantly, master's-level trainees in health service psychology must demonstrate scientific competency in order to provide ethical and effective care. This article outlines methods to assess scientific competency that can be adopted by diverse master's programs.