BC Centre­ on Substance Use launches new online addiction training program

published on May 30, 2017

The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has launched a new online training course to help B.C. health care professionals identify and treat substance use disorders.

The Online Addiction Medicine Diploma will help ensure providers have access to evidence-based education to help improve care across the province. Course topics include screening and diagnosing, safe prescribing, overdose prevention and harm reduction, recovery-oriented care, and treating withdrawal. The course covers a broad range of substance use disorders including opioids, tobacco, alcohol, and stimulants. The modules are led by expert clinicians, educators, and researchers from across the province.

“One of the biggest challenges to providing timely and effective treatment of substance use disorder is the lack of training received by all health care practitioners during their formal training,” says Cheyenne Johnson, Director of Clinical Activities and Development at the BCCSU. “This free, accredited online training program will make education easily accessible and give frontline care providers the tools they need to identify substance use disorders and provide evidence-based care to patients and their families.”

The Online Addiction Medicine Diploma is the latest educational initiative of the BCCSU, which began operations on April 1, 2017. The BCCSU’s mandate is to develop recommendations, resources, and training that will improve the care and treatment for people struggling with addiction and substance use. Since its launch, the BCCSU has also developed and released a guideline for the clinical management of opioid use disorder, which will become effective June 5, 2017. Additionally, the BCCSU will launch the Provincial Opioid Addiction Support Program in July 2017, which will focus additional training supports for treating opioid use disorder.

“People struggling with substance use issues need compassionate health-care professionals who understand how to best help someone with addiction,” said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. “BCCSU’s no-cost, online substance use training provides this much needed education on evidence-based treatments. It will help improve supports for people with addictions and builds on the significant work being done across the province to combat the overdose crisis.”

There is no cost associated with the Online Addiction Medicine Diploma, which means courses are accessible to anyone interested in addiction care and treatment, with the goal of broadening health care providers and the general public’s understanding of substance use and evidence-based interventions. The 17 learning modules can be taken individually, though all must be completed to earn the diploma.

The program is fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (CACME), aims to provide continuing medical education for physicians who, in primary care settings, are often the first contact for patients with substance use disorders.

UBC’s Faculty of Medicine assisted the BCCSU with the development of the new diploma program.

For more information, visit www.bccsu.ca.

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About the BC Centre on Substance Use
The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) is a provincially networked organization with a mandate to develop, help implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use. Located at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver with researchers based at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, the BCCSU aims to build upon the success of its partner organization, the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, by improving the integration of best practices and care across the continuum of responses to substance use through the collaborative development of policies, guidelines, and standards. With the support of the province of BC, BCCSU aims to transform substance use policies, programs, and services by translating research into education and care guidance, thereby serving and improving the health of all British Columbians.

For additional information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Kevin Hollett, BCCSU
778-918-1537
[email protected]