Our speakers are Joanne Spetz, PhD, Director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS), University of California San Francisco, and Jackie Bray, DNP, FNP-C., Nurse Practitioner for Howard Center’s office-based opioid treatment programs (Vermont). This presentation describes the expansion of nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians into opioid use disorder treatment, particularly in rural communities. It also explores barriers and facilitators regarding nurse practitioner engagement in buprenorphine treatment, including regulations, education, and broader social factors such as stigma. Specific considerations for advanced practice clinicians’ work with members of rural communities are discussed.
Learning objectives:
1. Understand the growth and reach of nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians into buprenorphine treatment, including their expansion into rural areas
2. Assess common barriers and facilitators regarding nurse practitioner engagement in buprenorphine treatment, including regulation, education, and community factors
3. Outline on-the-ground issues unique to nurse practitioners and physician assistants in delivering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
4. Discuss treatment concerns for advanced practice clinicians working with special populations, including members of rural communities
