Training is for physician assistants and nurse practitioners to provide addiction care in primary care settings
Geisinger’s Addiction Medicine Program has received a $2.5 million federal grant to support an Addiction Medicine Advanced Practitioner Training Program for physician assistants (PA-Cs) and certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs).
The goal is to train advanced practitioners to identify and care for patients with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder — especially people living in rural areas where other options for care are limited.
The first training class will launch in January, with new classes beginning each July and January over the course of the five-year grant. Applicants must be board certified and maintain an active Pennsylvania advanced practitioner license.
“Studies have shown that Pennsylvania communities — particularly those in rural areas — struggle with access to substance use disorder treatment options, putting more strain on our hospitals,” said Margaret Jarvis, M.D., chief, addiction services for Geisinger Addiction Medicine and the Geisinger Neuroscience Institute. “Putting well trained advanced practitioners in primary care sites will provide a stable environment for long-term treatment of addicted patients. Because they’re treated in their communities, it’s easier to help them stay on course.”
The 12-month program includes lectures and in-clinic training. It will focus on mental health and substance use and opioid use disorder services, including the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder.
To receive an application, visit go.geisinger.edu/apaddictiontraining.