White Susan E, Altongy-Magee Kristy, Cooper Christopher, Hixon Jennifer, Honda Trenton, Milch Charles, Murphy Richard, Riethle Theresa, Walker Lisa, Berkowitz Oren
Susan E. White, MD, is program director for the Boston University School of Medicine PA Program, Boston, Massachusetts. Kristy Altongy-Magee, MPAS, PA-C, is an assistant professor and program director, School of Physician Assistant Studies-Manchester/Worcester, MCPHS University, Worcester, Massachusetts. Christopher Cooper, MPAS, PA-C, is an assistant professor and program director, School of Physician Studies-Boston, MCPHS University, Boston, Massachusetts. Jennifer Hixon DHSc, PA-C, is associate dean and program director for the Physician Assistant Program, Westfield State University, Westfield, Massachusetts. Trenton Honda, PhD, PA-C, is division chief and an associate professor for the Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah. Charles Milch, MHP, MBA, PA-C, is an associate professor, chair, and program director for the Physician Assistant Program, Springfield College, School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies, Springfield, Massachusetts. Richard Murphy, MBA, PA-C, is an associate professor of surgery, Public Health & Community Medicine, and Physician Assistant Program Director Emeritus, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts. Theresa Riethle, MS, PA-C, is an associate professor and director of the Physician Assistant Program, Bay Path University, Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Lisa Walker, MPAS, PA-C, is an associate professor and director, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts. Oren Berkowitz, PhD, PA-C, is a senior lecturer, Department of Health System Management, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
J Physician Assist Educ. 2019 Dec;30(4):207-213. doi: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000276.
Opioid addiction has become a national epidemic. Morbidity and mortality from prescription and synthetic opioid use and abuse have increased at an alarming rate in recent years. Ensuring that physician assistant (PA) graduates have the knowledge to become safe prescribers of medications, including opiates, is a goal of PA training programs. Achieving that goal requires fostering PA student competence regarding current issues in pain control, drug use and misuse, polypharmacy, diversion, self-medication, and substance use disorder. We present a public health approach to addressing that need. Our approach involved developing consensus among the 9 PA programs in Massachusetts concerning the adoption and implementation of statewide, graduate core competencies for the prevention and management of prescription drug misuse. The process implemented in Massachusetts could be used as a model in other states and might be relevant to addressing other public health crises. We present the adopted competencies as well as individual PA programs' curricular approaches.
