WSU Spokane

Opioid Education

WSU SpokaneOpioid Education

About the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum

Thank you for your interest in the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum for health professions students.

The curriculum consists of two linked interprofessional education (IPE) sessions involving longitudinal care of a simulated patient (SP). Each 110-minute IPE session includes 1 – 1.5 hours of pre-work. Hosted virtually via Zoom, the sessions facilitate communication among interprofessional student teams representing health professions such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work, physical therapy, and others. The curriculum enables learners to practice applying their knowledge about roles and responsibilities of health professionals and patients, while developing skills in communication, ethics, teamwork, and patient-centered decision-making.

The longitudinal patient case follows Sam Jones, a 63-year-old retired lawyer with chronic back pain who is prescribed opioids following a motor vehicle collision. Students interact with Sam through two separate visits. Although the sessions were designed to occur sequentially and through the use of videoconferencing, faculty are welcome to access the session materials and modify the content as needed.

Visit 1: Interprofessional Team-based Opioid Education  

In this introductory session, students collaborate in interprofessional teams to develop a holistic care plan for Sam Jones, who reports continued back pain despite being prescribed opioid pain medication. Through the written patient case and SP interaction, students learn about screenings tools, Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMPs), and holistic treatment plan options. Students receive background reading to ensure all students have the same baseline information regarding chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) and are prepared for the SP interaction.

Upon completion of the session, students should be able to do the following:

  1. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the healthcare team and how they work together to provide team-based care to patients using opioids.
  2. Utilize appropriate non-stigmatizing language when caring for patients taking or potentially misusing opioids.
  3. Express one’s knowledge and opinions to healthcare team members with confidence, clarity, and respect, working to ensure common understanding of information, treatment, and care decisions.
  4. Evaluate a patient for potential opioid misuse or opioid use disorder as a member of the healthcare team.
  5. Differentiate between treatment options for a patient with an opioid use disorder and/or pain management.
  6. Work collaboratively with the healthcare team and the patient to develop a patient care plan.

Visit 2: Interprofessional Team-based Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) Education

Sam Jones returns for an early follow-up appointment to assess recommendations made during the first visit with the interprofessional team. Through the written patient case and SP interaction, students learn Sam has increasing depressive symptoms and is showing signs of opioid and alcohol dependence. Student teams view a patient-provider video interaction that models Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), ask follow-up questions to a live SP portraying Sam, and work together to create a holistic treatment plan, potentially including MAT. 

Upon completion of the session, students should be able to do the following:

  1. Recognize current, evidence-based treatment principles and guidelines for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
  2. Utilize Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as a tool for identifying patients with potential Substance Use Disorders (SUD).
  3. Apply principles of MAT, specifically for OUD.
  4. Apply principles of MAT, specifically for AUD.
  5. Collaboratively create with an interprofessional team a Holistic Interprofessional Treatment Plan for a patient who has potential SUD.

How to Access the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum Materials

All curricular materials needed to implement these IPE sessions are freely available for faculty to use and adapt. Available materials include facilitator guides, student pre-work, in-class PowerPoint slides, session instruction guides, and/or treatment plan templates. The curriculum was last updated in 2025. If you would like to request these materials, please send an email to: medicine.ipoc@wsu.edu with the following information:

  1. Full Name
  2. University / Institution Name
  3. Role / Position
  4. A brief explanation of why you are interested in accessing the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum and how you intend to use it
  5. Please specify if you wish to receive materials for Visit 1, Visit 2, or both IPE sessions

The Development and Research Team

The Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum was developed by an interprofessional team of faculty and staff at Washington State University (WSU) and Eastern Washington University (EWU):

  • Jennifer Anderson, BA
  • Ross Bindler, PharmD
  • Brenda S. Bray, BPharm, MPH
  • Dawn DeWitt, M.D., MSc, MACP, FRACP, Cert Med Ed
  • Carrie Gigray, MSHS, FP-C
  • Katherine Girardot Putnam, M.Ed.
  • Tracy Klein, Ph.D., ARNP, RN
  • Rie Kobayashi, Ph.D., MSW
  • Chris Martin, EdD, MHS, CHSE
  • Skye McKennon, PharmD
  • Jennifer Miller, PharmD
  • Sarah Peterson, MPH, MSc
  • Connie Remsberg, Ph.D.
  • Barbara Richardson, Ph.D., MN, RN
  • Heather Striker, MSN-Ed, RN
  • Marian Wilson, Ph.D.

Additional Pain Management and Opioid Education Opportunities

Additional pain management and opioid education curricula developed by team members are freely available at the links provided below.

  1. Student-focused: Pain Management and Opioid Use Education for Health Science Students, a 4-part learning module featuring videos of clinical interactions that address critical aspects of pain management and substance use;
  2. Clinician-focused: Managing Risk for Adults Prescribed Opioids: A Case-Management Learning Module, an asynchronous and free Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited offering that empowers healthcare professionals with effective strategies for managing chronic pain and substance use disorders (SUD).

Publications

The team has published several peer-reviewed articles about its IPE pain management and opioid education curricula, including:

Grant Support

Initial development of the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum was supported by the Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH). Funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) allowed for further expansion. Specific grant information is below:

  • Washington State Health Care Authority Resources and Education Leading to Improved Pain Care Equity For Washingtonians (RELIEF). Marian Wilson, (PI) November 2023 – June 2025.
  • HRSA. Rethinking Education on Substance use through inter-Professional Education and Rural Community Training (RESPECT). Dawn DeWitt (PI). HRSA award number: T0BHP33106-03-00. Total award: $1,929,121. July 2019 – June 2024, with NCE to 6/30/2025.
  • SAMHSA. Rethinking Education on Substance Use with Inter-Professional Education and Collaborative Teams using Medication-Assisted Treatment (RESPECT-MAT). Marian Wilson (PI). Grant number: 1H79FG000075-01. Total award: $199,687. September 2020 – September 2022.
  • Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP)/University of Washington Community-based Training Partner Funds. Interdisciplinary curricula on team review of patients on chronic opioids for rural community clinics. Marian Wilson (PI). Total award: $6,579. May 2019 – October 2019.
  • WA DOH / Prevention for States program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Grant renewal. Interdisciplinary Curricula on Team Review of Patients on Chronic Opioids for Pre-Service Healthcare Students. Barbara Richardson (PI). Total award: $87,668. December 2018 – August 2019.
  • WA DOH / Prevention for States program funded by the CDC. Grant 5 NU17CE002734. Interdisciplinary Curricula on Team Review of Patients on Chronic Opioids for Pre-Service Healthcare Students. Barbara Richardson (PI). Total award: $70,000. May 2018 – August 2018.

Disclaimers

  1. The Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum materials and resources are provided for educational purposes as an interprofessional training program only. Individuals assume full responsibility for how they use the materials. Nothing contained in these materials is intended to serve as a substitute for expert medical advice.
  2. The contents of the Interprofessional Opioid Curriculum are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, NWCPHP, HRSA, or SAMHSA.