The University of Florida Health’s Office of Interprofessional Education was recently selected to participate in the National Academy of Medicine’s, or NAM, Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises Core Competency Implementation Pilot Project. In partnership with the Action Collaborative, UF will join 15 other implementation sites across the United States in working towards advancing substance use care, workforce competency, and interprofessional education and practice by implementing the Action Collaborative’s 3Cs Framework for Pain and Unhealthy Substance Use, released in 2022.
The NAM Action Collaborative’s Implementation Pilot Project seeks to gain insights into the varied applications of the 3Cs Framework and the respective implementation processes. The learnings from this project will offer insight into the feasibility and utility of implementing the 3Cs Framework to improve health professional competency across the learning continuum and a diversity of interprofessional education and practice settings.
As one of 16 pilot sites selected from across the nation to participate in the Implementation Pilot Project, UF Health’s Office of Interprofessional Education will provide students with a greater understanding of how the opioid crisis continues to affect patients and their families. Students from the UF Colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy programs will participate in the training. The activity builds upon previous interprofessional teamwork learning around the opioid crisis by introducing perspectives from additional patients, family members, and health care providers to the student groups.
“Interprofessional education is key to addressing substance use disorders,” said Amy Blue, Ph.D., associate vice president for interprofessional education in the UF Health Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs. “Every health profession plays a role in a patient’s care, but we don’t always have the full picture of what drives their decisions and behaviors leading to substance misuse. By enhancing communication and understanding among health professionals, we increase our chances of preventing misuse and ensuring patients receive the necessary treatment referrals.”
For several years, UF Health’s Office of Interprofessional Education has offered an opioid workshop and training for students. Before the workshop, students complete online modules covering topics like recognizing opioid use disorder, screening and referring patients for treatment, and managing opioid overdoses. This pilot program aims to broaden these offerings, while enhancing student training to prevent opioid misuse.
“With this pilot program, we have the opportunity to include real patient stories and experiences, which will deepen our students’ understanding and improve the quality of care they provide,” said Carol Motycka, Pharm.D., assistant dean for the UF College of Pharmacy’s Jacksonville campus and a clinical professor who specializes in substance use disorders. “Students will also gain insight into how stigma impacts patient care through this program.”
Through participation in the implementation pilot, UF will help to inform and shape the future of health professions education policy and practice. As part of the implementation pilot, the project team will engage in a dynamic learning community where they will share insights and best practices while fostering relationships and connections with other sites and Action Collaborative members. The team will also travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in a final knowledge-sharing meeting that will bring together representatives from the pilot sites and leaders across health professions education and training, health care delivery, and policy.
Full List of Implementation Sites:
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | Rosemont, Illinois
- Binghamton University | Binghamton, New York
- DC Fire and EMS | Washington, D.C.
- Drexel College of Medicine, Caring Together Program | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- El Rio Community Health Center | Tucson, Arizona
- Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, Florida
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing | Baltimore, Maryland
- The Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio
- University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, Alabama
- University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona
- University of California, Los Angeles Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs | Los Angeles, California
- University of Florida, Office of Interprofessional Education | Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Florida
- University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth | Fort Worth, Texas
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine/Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Tennessee
- Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital | New York, New York
- The Wright Center for Community Health | Scranton, Pennsylvania