2019 Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder:
Educating & Empowering All Registered Nurses (RN) During an Epidemic

This continuing educational activity was developed by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association to provide education to all nurses regarding the epidemic of opioid use in the U.S. and to answer the question, 
"What can nurses do?" to address this growing problem.

Almost 4 million nurses can make a difference!

For an uninterrupted learning experience, please use Google Chrome, Safari or Firefox as your browser. If you use Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view or access parts of this course.* 

In this course you will learn about the epidemiology surrounding the use of heroin and opioid use in the United States. The Scope and Standards for the psychiatric-mental health nurse will be the foundation for assessing the patient at risk for opioid use disorders. Some of the risk factors associated with opioid use disorder will be presented. Various treatment options will be discussed, along with strategies nurses can employ to help patients to select the appropriate individualized treatment plan combining psychosocial and medication assisted interventions that meet their goals.

Presenter:  Laura G. Leahy, DrNP, APRN, PMH-CNS/FNP, CARN-AP, FAANP
Contributing Faculty:  Carolyn Baird, DNP, MBA, RN-BC, CARN-AP, CCDPD, FIAAN; Susan Caverly, PhD, APRN, RN-BC, PLLC; Mary Kastner, PMHCNS, PMHNP-BC; Matthew Tierney, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FANP-BC, FAAN

Disclosures: The presenter and planners have no conflict of interest or commercial support to disclose.  Off-label use of medications will be discussed during this presentation.

Session Length: 1 hour 30 minutes

Target Audience: RN

Session Outcomes:  
Upon completion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:

1. Identify key morbidity and mortality statistics related to heroin and prescription opioid use in recent years.
2. Identify psychotherapeutic treatment options for patients with opioid use disorders.
3. Describe at least one way to increase access to treatment for opioid use disorders in the settings or communities where you work as a psychiatric nurse.

Keywords: Opioid Use Disorder, Opioids, Heroin

Price: Free

Continuing Nursing Education: 
1.5 contact hours. * In order to receive contact hours, you must: Listen to the entire session, complete an evaluation, and earn a passing score on the post-test before the expiration date. You will have 5 tries to correctly answer the questions on the post-test. Once you have passed the post-test and completed an evaluation, the certificate will be generated online, available for you to print immediately. You cannot earn credit unless all steps are completed. 

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. 

Release Date: August 28, 2019
The contact hours for this session expire: August 31, 2023


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