Final Project: Health Psychology Committee Report
Imagine a health care reform plan that mandates increased access to services you studied in
this course. The goal is better overall patient health, measurable by shorter hospitalizations
and improved adherence to medical regimens. You have volunteered to join the Health
Psychology Committee formed by your local hospital, which is in the process of initiating a
psychiatry division that will employ five psychologists. The committee is responsible for
assigning duties to the psychologists. Use critical thinking skills as you decide how to apply
health psychology principles to hospital-based psychologistsÂ’ duties.
• Resources: Appendixes A & B
• Due Date: Day 7 [Individual forum]
• Review the notes you took in Appendix B.
• Specify duties for five hospital-associated psychologists that reflect health psychology
principles discussed in this course, according to the following guidelines.
• Conduct research by consulting a variety of sources, and gather evidence to support
your decisions. Remember to suspend judgment while inquiring into multiple aspects of
each of the five roles. Use your text, previous assignments, major research hospital Web
sites, and the University Library. Cite a minimum of five references, including your text.
• Assign one or more of the items in the bulleted duty list below to each of these four job
titles: substance abuse counselor; inpatient-only psychologist; child psychologist; adult
psychologist:

Duty list:
o Collaborate with local schools
o Provide psychological preparation methods for children prior to medical procedures
o Provide treatment for chronic pain
o Provide psychological preparation methods for adults prior to medical procedures
and surgery
o Coordinate the use of recovery programs and structured programs for substance
abuse, in conjunction with social worker
HCA 250 The Psychology of Health
Course Syllabus Page 25
o Diagnose stress disorders and aid in stress-relief interventions
o Utilize various methods to facilitate adjustment and coping skills with patients
suffering a chronic or terminal illness
If you feel one or more of the duties could be assigned to more than one of the four job
titles, feel free to do so but keep a reasonable work and patient load in mind.
• Evaluate the list above for areas of need not already addressed. Recommend a fifth job
title and assign other health psychology-related duties not listed or related to those
above.
• Identify decision-making criteria and explain rationale behind your assignment of duties
to each of the five job titles.
• Discuss and give further details on how each of the five psychologists will contribute to
improvement in overall patient health. What kinds of responsibilities and services would
each of the five psychologists provide for patients? How will each of their roles result in
shorter hospitalizations and improved adherence to medical regimens? Is there overlap in
any or all of the five job titles? Should there be? Why or why not?
• Consider and discuss the impact of implementing each role versus not implementing it.
What makes each role supportive toward improvement and maintenance of wellness?
Why would patients be better off with the psychologistsÂ’ services after doing without in
the past?
• Compile your findings in an 1,800- to 2,100-word paper in APA format that you would
present to the hospital as a Health Psychology Committee Report.
• Post your paper as a Microsoft® Word attachment.