Expanding Core Competencies to Combat Opioid Epidemic

BUSM Physician Assistant (PA) program leadership joined Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and other health and human services leaders from throughout the Commonwealth  to announce an expansion of the reach and use of core competencies for the assessment and prevention of prescription misuse.

The  cross-institutional core competencies will ensure  advanced practice nurses and physician assistants educated in the Commonwealth, as well as community health center employees, receive enhanced training in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies regarding prescription drug misuse.

At the Aug. 22 press conference PA Program Director and Assistant Professor of Medicine Mary L. Warner, MMSc, PA-C; PA Program Director of Research and Assistant Professor of Medicine Oren Berkowitz, PhD, MSPH, PA-C;  and PA Program Director of Didatic Education and Assistant Professor of Medicine Susan White, MD, were proud to share that 100 percent of BUSM’s inaugural graduating class have successfully completed BU’s nationally known SCOPE of Pain program for safe and effective management of chronic pain and and have learned to administer Naloxone, a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.

White and Berkowitz worked closely with other PA faculty in the state to spearhead the development of the competencies.  They will be presenting this work at the national meeting of PA educators in October. “This session, which highlights a model of collaboration for other PA programs and states around opioid prescribing, was accepted as a special presentation after the final conference schedule was announced,” explained Warner.