SBIRT Education for Nurse Practitioner Students: Integration Into an MSN Program.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders are a major public health problem. As primary care providers, nurse practitioners (NPs) must be proficient at screening, identifying, and intervening for at-risk patients. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is a well-established, evidence-based model for teaching behavioral health skills to health care providers. It is vital that Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)-NP programs incorporate SBIRT into their curricula. METHOD: SBIRT content was mapped to 10 courses across an MSN-NP program. Methods of integration included readings, lectures, case studies, role-plays, tutorials, symposia, and test questions, as well as tracking the use of SBIRT during clinical preceptorships. RESULTS: A total of 139 online and on-campus MSN-NP students were trained. Data demonstrate students successfully implemented SBIRT in precepted clinical settings. CONCLUSION: This approach provides a framework for integrating SBIRT training into MSN-NP curricula. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(12):725-732.].

Implementing a new faculty workload formula.

The severe shortage of nursing faculty in recent years has led to changes in faculty mix, with nursing programs relying on increased numbers of faculty members prepared at the master's level for coverage of nursing courses. To address the impact of these changes on faculty workload, one nursing program established a Workload Task Force to develop a workload formula that would recognize teaching, scholarship, and service contributions of all faculty members and help ensure equity in workload assignments. Details of the workload formula are offered, along with recommendations for gaining the support of faculty and ensuring transparency in implementation.