Free NP Training to Treat Opioid Addiction

ASAM Announces Partnerships to Offer Free Training for NPs and PAs to Treat Opioid Addiction

North Bethesda, MD (January 17, 2017) – The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) announces that it is partnering with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to offer new training courses that will allow physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication to treat addiction involving opioid use.

Last November, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that NPs and PAs can immediately begin taking the 24 hours of required training to prescribe buprenorphine to treat patients with addiction involving opioid use, as authorized by the recently passed Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). NPs and PAs who complete the required training and seek to prescribe buprenorphine for up to 30 patients will be able to apply to do so early this year.

"ASAM is delighted to work with AANP and AAPA to facilitate training opportunities and support these clinicians as they work to fill the addiction treatment gap with evidence-based care. ASAM has worked for the past three years on joint training with AANP and AAPA on safe opioid prescribing and we are pleased to expand our joint offerings," said R. Jeffrey Goldsmith, MD, DLFAPA, DFASAM, ASAM's President.

This joint offering is being made possible in part through an unrestricted educational grant from Indivior to each of the partner organizations. This support makes it possible to have free online training available starting today and offers NP and PA CE/CME credits for all 24 hours of training.

"AAPA and the PA community are committed to helping stem the national opioid epidemic. Every day I hear from our PA members who are eager to utilize this new authority to treat their patients," said AAPA President Josanne Pagel, MPAS, PA-C, Karuna®RMT, DFAAPA.

"Nurse Practitioners will play a significant role in the reduction of overdose deaths as they become eligible to treat and manage patients with opioid use disorder. AANP believes the collaboration with ASAM and AAPA will provide excellent education so that NPs can meet the urgent need for increased access to care for this patient population," said AANP President Cindy Cooke, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP.

ASAM looks forward to continuing to work with SAMHSA, AANP, AAPA, and other partners to facilitate these important training opportunities. Click here to take the free training.