'Significant' shortage of psychologists, psychiatrists in N.B., Horizon CEO says they’re among toughest positions to recruit

Horizon Health’s interim CEO Margaret Melanson says the health authority is trying its best, but filling psychology and psychiatry vacancies is proving difficult.

The vacancies arose as an issue during the Lexi Daken coroner’s inquest in early November.

The 16-year-old died by suicide, but not before trying to seek the help of a psychiatrist at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital emergency room.

She was told they would have to call-in a psychiatrist, and was asked if she felt she could keep herself safe at home and receive an outpatient referral instead.

Daken’s family has since asked questions about timely access to mental health services.

Melanson said Wednesday that an “enormous amount of work” has been done on the issue over the past year, including a change in intervention within emergency departments, and one-at-a-time therapy.

But she recognizes recruitment for positions in mental health fields have been difficult to recruit.

“I would say that amongst the specialists that we are trying to recruit psychiatry is among the group that has the largest number of vacancies at this time,” she said. “That is true and I mean certainly the same as a recruitment for any other type of specialized health care professional. We compete with every other jurisdiction across Canada and beyond.”

Psychologist Mary Ann Campbell, who’s also a University of New Brunswick professor in psychology and member of the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick council, believes there’s a number of issues that make recruitment challenging.

She says a lack of internships within New Brunswick, not enough post-secondary resources to train future psychologists, and salaries all contribute to the shortage.

“Even in Nova Scotia, a psychologist can earn more money there than they can in New Brunswick. So a lot of my own graduates, students who I train to be future psychologists, have actually relocated out of New Brunswick and into Nova Scotia,” she said.

A quick look at the list of job postings for psychologists, and there’s a difference of about $10/hour between the two provinces.

However, the level of education listed on many of the job postings differ – some require a PhD, others a masters degree.

Campbell says they are at the table with government, discussing the shortage – and that a recruitment strategy is in the works.

But it’s moving slow, she says, and the need is racing past.

“When I have clients that I need to refer somebody to because I can't take them in my load, one of the things I'll hear back is they have a long wait list, that all of the other places that I've been referring people to do,” she said.

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