Addiction Medicine Training Pathways
Addiction Medicine Training Pathways outlines how clinicians progress from foundational competencies to advanced practice across clinical, research, and leadership tracks. This page maps entry routes (primary care, psychiatry, emergency medicine, nursing, pharmacy), core curricula (assessment, MOUD/AUD pharmacotherapy, CBT/MI/CM, harm reduction), supervision models, and credentialing. We also describe how rotations through outpatient, inpatient, withdrawal management, and community programs build real-world readiness—alongside simulation, case conferences, and assessment portfolios. For readers exploring an Addiction Medicine Training Conference, we connect training design to measurable outcomes: retention, safety, patient-reported recovery, and equity of access.
The workforce lens matters. Programs that braid academic learning with service delivery—telehealth induction clinics, hospital consult teams, and integrated primary care—create durable pipelines and reduce attrition. Fellowships benefit from interdisciplinary teaching with nursing, social work, and pharmacy; longitudinal mentorship; and capstone QI or implementation science projects that translate research into routine care. To scale capacity and leadership, curricula should include policy literacy, stigma-aware communication, and data fluency. For staffing strategies and progression frameworks that complement this page, see Workforce Development in Psychiatry, which aligns recruitment, supervision, and career ladders with service needs.
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Curriculum Building Blocks (with Practical Milestones)
Foundations of assessment and care planning
- Master structured screening, ASAM level-of-care decisions, and safety planning across settings.
- Apply differential diagnosis with co-occurring mental/medical conditions and document risk stratification.
Pharmacotherapy competencies
- Initiate and maintain MOUD/AUD medications with dose titration and monitoring protocols.
- Manage drug–drug interactions and hepatic/renal considerations; incorporate long-acting formulations.
Psychosocial interventions
- Deliver brief MI, CBT skills, and contingency management tailored to stage of change.
- Design relapse-prevention plans that address triggers, coping skills, and aftercare.
Systems, equity, and leadership
- Implement stepped-care pathways and warm handoffs across services.
- Use outcomes registries and parity/QI tools to drive improvement and accountability.
Program Design and Implementation Essentials
Clinical rotations and supervision
Structure experiences across outpatient, inpatient, and withdrawal management with graded responsibility and reflective supervision.
Interprofessional learning
Co-train with nursing, pharmacy, social work, and peers to build shared language and coordinated workflows.
Simulation and case conferences
Use standardized patients and multidisciplinary case reviews to accelerate decision-making and teamwork.
Telehealth and rural outreach
Integrate virtual care and hub-and-spoke models to expand access and provide remote mentorship.
Quality improvement and implementation science
Teach PDSA cycles, measurement plans, and change management tied to real clinic metrics.
Policy and advocacy literacy
Equip trainees to navigate coverage rules, parity, and harm-reduction policy that determine access to care.
Research and scholarship
Offer mentored projects in outcomes, epidemiology, or translational SUD research with pathways to publication.
Wellbeing and professionalism
Embed supervision on boundaries, burnout prevention, and reflective practice to sustain careers.
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