Date: March 30, 2022
Provider’s Clinical Support System – Universities (Short title: PCSS-Universities) offers funding to support graduate-level education for students in medical, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and other eligible advanced practice nursing programs with a focus on treating opioid use disorders (OUDs) and prescribing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in office-based settings upon graduation.
Required activities include:
- Develop and implement an OUD curriculum framed in a long-term illness and recovery management model that covers:
- Evidence-based screening for and current diagnosis of OUD
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications to treat OUD
- Harm reduction interventions including overdose education, naloxone administration, and use of fentanyl test strips
- The role of the practitioner in recovery management for patients with OUD
- Staffing roles and considerations
- Diversion control
- Privacy and confidentiality issues in treatment
- Develop and implement a comprehensive set of other substance use disorder (SUD) related courses, trainings, or webinars to ensure students are prepared to screen for, diagnose, and address other SUDs in addition to OUD after graduation. Content of the training should include topics outlined in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA):
- Current diagnostic criteria for SUDs and the basics of SUD as a chronic disease
- Appropriate clinical use of all medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol use disorder and tobacco use disorder
- Diagnosis and treatment of co-occurring medical and mental health disorders
- Initial and periodic patient assessments
- Individualized treatment planning
- Principles of contingency management, motivational interviewing, and other evidence-based approaches
- Counseling and recovery support services and coordination of care for all SUD
- Develop a plan for integrating content into the general practice curriculum, including inclusion of the curriculum into the established school curricula and training of health professionals after the grant has ended
- Ensure that students receiving the education are exposed to actual practical implementation and, at a minimum, have the opportunity to shadow physicians, Physician Assistants (PAs), and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and other nurse specialties who are providing evidence-based treatment for individuals receiving MOUD
- Provide curriculum to SAMHSA for its review prior to implementation to assure its consistency with the programmatic intent and requirements of the grant
- Ensure students receive at least 8 hours of training for physicians and at least 24 hours for PAs/NPs and other nurse specialties on the OUD curriculum to include:
- Establish and implement a plan for appropriate marketing for the training, including a means of encouraging students to participate in the training
- Ensure faculty with the knowledge, training, expertise, and experience necessary to train students on the content are secured to provide such training
- Develop and implement MOUD-focused curricula as part of a residency or fellowship training program