Featured Topics for the Week:

• Hot Topics: Say Buh-Bye to the Buprenorphine X-Waiver and Hello New DEA Mandated Opioid CME Requirements

• Let’s Be Clear…Defining APP Roles

• Free CME Resource - Opioid Prescribing

• Pro Tips for Aspiring APPs

• CME, CNE, Contact Hours, and CEUs - OH MY! Defining CME, CNE, and CEU Requirements

Check Your Pulse as We Celebrate Major Wins for the Battle Against the Opioid Crisis:

If you haven’t heard, naloxone is OTC!

The FDA has finally taken some critical steps to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. Naloxone (aka Narcan) is the powerful antidote to opioid overdose in healthcare settings. Now accessible to the public, can you imagine the lives that can be saved if parents, schools, and first responders have this tool on hand? Read more on the FDA approval March 29th. Let’s hope “big pharma” makes it affordable!

Say goodbye to the Buprenorphine X-Waiver:

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act (aka MAT Act) eliminated the redundant requirement that practitioners apply for a separate waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine for substance use disorder treatment. Anytime we hear about advances in patient access to care.... we celebrate! Read more about the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act and one PA’s trip to the White House to celebrate this win.

We celebrate the wins, but here is the catch: 

Effective June 27, 2023, all practitioners will be required to attest that they have met new training requirements in order to obtain or renew a DEA license. The DEA has a new one-time training requirement for 8 hours of training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (SUDs). Be sure to also stay up to date with your state mandated DEA licensing requirements. The good news is that accredited training usually counts for BOTH. Have no fear, we have attached a nice PDF summary of the DEA requirements, linked HERE. We should point out that past opioid CME can count, and again, this is a one-time requirement, not a requirement for ongoing maintenance. Check your pulse! WHEW!

On that note, we got you!

The NIH provides FREE CME for APPs, nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. The modules are brief and helpful to understand stigma, patient approaches, and safe opioid prescribing practices. You will be sure to meet your new DEA requirements in NO TIME! You. Are. Welcome! 🛎

⚙️ The More You Know

While both NPs and PAs increase access to healthcare and are regularly ranked among the top 3 healthcare, TEMP, and overall jobs in the U.S., many people want to know: Who are we?

Let’s Be Clear…

APP: Advanced Practice Provider. This is a term that places Physician Assistants (PA), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), and Certified Registered Nurse anesthetists (CRNA) under one umbrella. We don’t love the term as it can dilute the individualized professions within, but it is used very commonly and worth mentioning. These healthcare professionals undergo specialized education, training, and certifications to become qualified to manage, treat, and diagnose patients in multiple specialties and many different settings. For more information, see this succinct article from UPMC HealthBeat: What are Advanced Practice Providers? | UPMC HealthBeat

Midlevel Provider/Physician Extender: You may often hear the term “midlevel” to refer to PAs or NPs. The term does not define the nationally defined scope of practice for either discipline and, in turn, confuses the public on the roles and services they provide. Per the American Association of Physician Assistants (AAPA), “today’s PAs collaborate with physicians. It is common for a PA to serve as the lead on care coordination teams and see patients in all settings without a physician present.” Per the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), “the NP scope of practice is nationally defined and distinct from that of other health disciplines. NP scope is not dependent on, or an extension of, the care rendered by a physician or other health care provider.” The bottom line. This term is offensive. As highly trained, highly skilled providers, we DO NOT provide midlevel/mediocre care. Nor do we “practice under” a physician. Need to politely update your organization on these terms? Follow our links attached on what our national organizations, the AANP and the AAPA, associations have to say.

APRN: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. This is a Registered Nurse (RN) who has earned a graduate-level degree either a Master in Nursing (MSN) or Doctorate in Nursing (DNP) and has been trained in one of the four recognized roles. The four roles include Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Nurse Practitioner (NP). For more information, check out this resource: Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) | ANA.

Nurse Practitioner (NP): NPs undergo rigorous national certification, clinical outcome evaluations and adhere to a code for ethical practices. The NP’s experience as a registered nurse enhances their perspective on medicine and gives them a unique approach to patient care. As an NP, they have more responsibility than they did in a nursing role and bring a comprehensive outlook to the healthcare team. They are granted prescriptive authority, examine and diagnose patients, formulate a treatment plan, and order labs and other diagnostic tests. They have a range of specialties they can work in from pediatric, and family care, to thoracic surgery and gynecology. NPs also work in a variety of settings ranging from clinics, intensive care units, schools, emergency rooms, urgent care, and public health departments.

To be eligible to apply at one of the 400 NP programs in the US, they must first obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), even if they have BSN in another field. This program will be 3-4 years along with the required 600 clinical hours. After passing the nursing board and working as a nurse to gain experience, you are eligible to apply for an MSN or DNP program. These programs are typically 24-26 months for an MSN with 500 clinical hours and 36-48 months for a DNP with an additional 500 clinical hours. After completion, they will then take a national certification specific to their population focus. There are annual requirements to stay current that vary depending on your state and specialty.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) represents over 121,000 NPs in the United States. Learn more about the NP profession from the link below or get an awesome infographic summary from the AANP here.

PA: Physician Assistant

PAs (Physician Associates/Physician Assistants) are licensed clinicians who are trained in a medical-physician model and practice medicine in every specialty and setting, including surgery. PAs practice medicine and have the training to examine and diagnose patients, order and interpret labs and imaging tests, formulate a treatment plan, prescribe medications, and perform many procedures and even minor surgeries. They are rigorously educated and dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice.

Prior to matriculation in one of 300 accredited master’s degree programs in the U.S., prospective students must earn a bachelor’s degree. Entry requirements are similar to physicians with requirements in areas of science not limited to organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, etc.… Training is rigorous and involves dedication to a full-time 3 academic year or 27-month year-round master’s level program (and may bridge to a Doctorate). Among other requirements, certified PA candidates must engage in 2,000 hours of clinical rotations and pass a national certification exam. Subsequent maintenance may be done by completing 100 hours of regulated continued medical education (CME) and pass a recertification exam every 10 years.

In recent years the terminal degree for PAs has become a doctorate and programs (for experienced and new graduate PAs) are expanding across the country. You may see the doctorate as a Doctor in Health Science (DHS) or Doctor of Medical Science (DMS or DMSc).

Learn more about the PA profession from the national professional society, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) website or obtain a comprehensive infographic from the AAPA here. 

💡 Inspiration for Your Aspirations

📈 Future APPs

Tips and Resources for Advancing Your Career

Ready to become a PA? 

The AAPA website has multiple resources to help you get started. Pro-tip: Become a Pre-PA member of the AAPA and if present, your campus pre-PA society.

Ready to become an NP, Nurse Midwife, or CRNA?

Not sure which Nursing career is best for you? Explore the different career paths that are available to nurses. Find what’s next in your nursing journey.

🩻 Conundrums: Because We Love a Challenge!

CME, CNE, Contact Hours, and CEUs - OH MY!

In the spirit of making all things clear, let’s start with defining our ongoing education requirements.

APPs are required to have a certain number of continuing education hours for recertification which varies between professions (PA vs NP). Do note that there are national certification requirements as well as individual state licensing requirements, and some additional ones for sub-specialties like pain medicine, but don’t fret, these requirements usually overlap. You can find detailed information from the NCCPA or the AANPCB and your individual state licensing website.

A CME is a continuing medical education credit which is designated for AMA/PRA Category 1 credit by a CME sponsor accredited by ACCME (Accreditation Council for CME) or state medical society recognized by the ACCME. Both APRNs and PAs can use CME education. However, similar to the physician model, the PA education model may only use the CME designation.

A CNE refers to clinical nursing education and the CEU or continuing education unit is equal to 10 contact hours. APRN’s may use the CME, CEU, or CNE designation hours to maintain licensure, but usually need CNE credit to maintain the Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics CNE requirement.   

Pro tip: Always do your due diligence! Check your national and local requirements, keep a file with your hours for auditing, and make sure you invest in CME/CNE that is accredited by an approved organization. Happy Learning!

NOPE, it never ends. We LOVE to learn! CME/CEU opportunities coming soon!