The article below is quoted from “UT Works with Community Partners to Address Health Issues in Rural Counties and Underserved Groups,” published on UT’s Research, Innovation & Economic Development website on August 28th, 2024. Please see the full article to learn about other ways in which UT is helping to improve the lives of Tennesseans.
Under COURAGE, nurse practitioner students from UT Knoxville join students from East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine and Lincoln Memorial University’s Physician Assistant Program to work with patients at addiction treatment providers.
“Students are learning how to talk to those who have a substance use disorder,” said Jennifer Tourville, executive director for the UT Institute for Public Service SMART Initiative, who oversees COURAGE’s Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Mentoring Program. “They are learning how to ask questions like ‘How’s your mental health?’ and ‘What drugs have you used since I last saw you?’ as easily as ‘What’s your blood pressure?’ or ‘Tell me about your ankle pain.’”
Students also volunteer with syringe service programs, providing unused needles to people who inject drugs and collecting used syringes to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
By working with individuals who are in recovery as well as those who are not, these future health care providers are learning not only how to prescribe medication for OUD but also to how to look at patients holistically, Tourville explained. Many of those who have a substance use disorder are also dealing with issues such as homelessness, dental problems, counseling needs, childhood trauma, loss of custody of their children, and lack of transportation, she said.
“Our goal is to train health care providers who are knowledgeable and comfortable prescribing medications for OUD, regardless of their specialization, so that patients benefit from comprehensive care,” Tourville said, noting that physicians and nurses in all specialties can play a role in treating substance use disorder. “At the end of their time with us, we ask students, ‘What are you going to carry forward into your own practice?’”