Becoming Capable Providing Medication and Safe Supply for Opioid Use Disorder: Insights From a Qualitative Study of Nurse Practitioners in North American Primary Care Settings

Please join us on October 30th, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET for a UVM CORA Community Rounds Workshop Series session, “Becoming Capable Providing Medication and Safe Supply for Opioid Use Disorder: Insights From a Qualitative Study of Nurse Practitioners in North American Primary Care Settings.” Our speaker is Martha Whitfield, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. This presentation describes a qualitative study exploring the experience of nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care settings across New England and Ontario. Learn how NPs developed capability in prescribing medication and safe supply for opioid use disorder (MOUD/safe supply). Hear about how NPs are assuming leadership roles to enhance person-centered and harm-reduction focused care and consider the implications for MOUD/safe supply within rural and remote settings.

Learning objectives:

1. Explore how NPs experienced capability development in prescribing MOUD/safe supply
2. Examine the scope of the NP role, and its significance for MOUD/safe supply within rural and remote clinical settings
3. Describe how NPs are stepping into leadership roles in the treatment of OUD
4. Share examples of effective collaborations that support person-centered care and harm reduction

Speaker

Martha Whitfield, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC

Having begun her career in the performing arts, Martha transitioned to nursing, motivated by a desire to work towards equity in access to healthcare services, especially for those who experience significant health-related social needs. She completed her initial nursing training at the University of Vermont, followed by a PhD in Nursing from Queen’s University in Canada. She is currently Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Her program of research is focused on treatment of substance use disorders in primary care, and on the nurse practitioner role. Martha has deep ties to Vermont, including prior work as a primary care provider in Hardwick, and as Clinical Assistant Professor at UVM where she has collaborated with the Center on Rural Addiction (CORA) on the development of resources for rural providers.