COVID-19 Impact on Teaching Substance Use Disorders: A Nursing Curricular Thread.

ABSTRACT: Vulnerable populations such as those with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at a higher risk for early morbidities and mortalities yet are less likely to receive primary care and other necessary psychosocial services essential for comprehensive care of these clients. This need has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence supports an increase in alcohol sales in 2020, and overdoses from illicit drugs have been reported to have more than doubled by May 2020 from the 2018 and 2019 baseline rates, and one reason for these increases is because of COVID-19. The healthcare system is overwhelmed with the cost of treating and addressing the impact of SUDs. Individuals with SUDs often meet providers who are not sufficiently prepared to address their complex issues that include co-occurring mental and physical health disorders. In addition to changes in practice, nursing education must change their curricular approach to meet the challenges in health services across the life span, and nursing education should include lessons being learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses must be prepared to recognize and screen individuals for SUDs at the undergraduate level as well as assess and treat individuals with SUDs at the advanced practice level in all areas of healthcare services. SUDs should not continue to be siloed and separated into the psychiatric-mental health nursing course within the nursing curriculum but should be addressed in multiple specialties across the curricula and include health responses in regard to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on SUDs.

Simulation Clinical Experience of Veteran Care Competence for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students with Standardized Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this simulation educational activity was to assist psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students (PMHNPs) with identifying military veterans as a vulnerable group with health care disparities and provide competent military veteran care in the private sector. Mindful of all the varied terms for military service, this article will use the term military veteran. METHODS: The simulation educational activity included applying the conceptual frameworks of the healthcare disparities framework (HDF) and nursing education simulation framework (NESF). The psychiatric nurse practitioner students participated in a mandatory clinical standardized patient (SP) simulation for veteran care competence. RESULTS: The learning was assessed in the debriefing following the student's performance in the SP simulation scenario. Anecdotally, the students reported that the activity was well received and a valuable learning experience for their practice. CONCLUSIONS: SP simulation may increase PMHNPs' quality of assessment of military veterans and treatment to decrease healthcare disparities. Additionally, the education of PMHNPs with military veteran care competence will increase the availability of health care providers in the private sector, where many military veterans are seeking care.

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment: a need for educational reform in nursing.

With the prevalence of addiction-related health consequences, all nurses must maintain a basic level of knowledge and skills regarding addictions. Nurses are ideally positioned to screen, assess, refer; and, at the advanced practice level, treat clients for addiction disorders, provided the knowledge and willingness exists to intervene. A vision for nursing education is to achieve minimal competencies for all generalist nurses, facilitated by incorporation of substance-related disorder concepts into nursing education. An urgent need exists to disseminate the most recent knowledge and skills in nursing school curricula throughout the United States and internationally.

Nursing students' personal experiences involving alcohol problems.

This article discusses the views and beliefs of nursing students toward people who abuse alcohol. An original study published in a separate article [Archives of Psychiatric Nursing , (2003); (4) 17 : 156-164.] examined this relationship with both a quantitative and a qualitative design. Three open-ended questions allowed for further qualitative exploration about relationships with others who have alcohol problems and beliefs about recovery. The chronic nature of alcoholism was clearly identified by students who described it as a lifelong process. Most students (79%) expressed belief that recovery was possible whether they had personal experience with people who have alcohol problems or not. The level of optimism was surprisingly high in this sample of nursing students, especially because many had had a personal experience with someone who abused alcohol. Students come to the educational setting with a clear and accurate view of the lifelong commitment that may be needed to recover from alcohol addiction, but they also come with an overly optimistic view of recovery. How this optimism impacts future care is unknown. If nursing students hold an unrealistically positive view of recovery, they may be ill prepared to handle the disappointments associated with treatment such as relapse, interpersonal conflict, health deterioration, or other related sequelae.

Examining the relationship of addiction education and beliefs of nursing students toward persons with alcohol problems.

This study examined the effectiveness of two methods of teaching nursing students about alcohol addiction. Each student who agreed to participate was given pretests, posttests, and 3-month follow-up tests that measured knowledge about and beliefs held toward people who abuse alcohol. Group 1 received lecture only, whereas group 2 received lecture and discussion with a person who had been sober for many years. Both groups showed improved scores in knowledge and certain aspects of beliefs, however, group 2 showed greater knowledge and more accurate beliefs overall toward this population than group 1. The introduction of a person successfully remaining sober was shown to be an even more effective teaching strategy than lecture alone.