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Courses and Activities Overview

Collaborative Approaches to the Opioid Crisis

Fall 2024

Collaborative Approaches to the Opioid Crisis

An interactive, thoughtful, and creative approach at collaborating with other health professionals to develop potential solutions to a broadening issue.

Collaborative Approaches to the Opioid Crisis is for UF health professions students to learn – as members of interprofessional health care teams – how to identify and make referrals for individuals with substance/opioid use disorder or at risk for development of a disorder.  

Learning objectives are:

  1. Assess the severity of substance use/abuse and identify individuals who need referral.  
  2. Identify signs and symptoms of substance use/abuse 
  3. Identify motivational interviewing techniques that encourage behavioral change.  
  4. Identify appropriate resources for referral and treatment for individuals suspected to need referral.  
  5. Identify colleagues at risk for impairment and appropriate action steps.
  6. Collaborate with other professionals to identify, assess, motivate and refer individuals for treatment.  
  7. Identify steps for immediate management after overdose. 

This is an online activity completed during the Fall semester.  Students individually complete 5 modules to gain foundational knowledge. Following this they attend an online synchronous  2-hour workshop to work in interprofessional teams through a case study and consider interprofessional approaches at the individual and community level to address substance abuse.  Student professions required to participate in this activity are: Dentistry, Nursing (BSN), Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Veterinary Medicine (DNP and PA students participate as feasible per their own clinic schedules).