Addiction Psychiatry / Medicine and Motivational Interviewing
PS 504M.23
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Students may add themselves to the waiting list for this course during add/drop periods but not during lottery periods. Please contact Dr. Hathaway, dbhathaway@bwh.harvard.edu (BWH) and Dr. Malishchak, lmalishchak@bwh.harvard.edu (BWFH), for approval prior to enrolling:
The clinical elective in addiction psychiatry/medicine and motivational interviewing (MI) helps students gain knowledge and practical experience working with persons with substance use disorders, especially in medical settings. Students will typically spend two weeks of the rotation at BWFH and two weeks at BWH, though the order and exact duration of site assignments may vary depending on site-specific factors. Students will develop skills in various addiction treatments, including: 1) Addiction consultation-liaison (BWH): Students will evaluate patients in medical and surgical floors, the emergency room, and intensive care units. They will learn to manage intoxications, overdoses, withdrawals; appreciate the complexity of pain management for persons with substance use disorders; guide primary cares teams through buprenorphine/methadone dosing, methadone dosing, and care for pregnant patients. There are also opportunities to practice outpatient addiction consultation in primary care, OB-GYN, HIV, and Bridge clinics. Students will have ample opportunity to learn and develop core MI skills under supervision, gaining competency by the end of the rotation through a mix of self-study, participation in MI learning group, and coaching/feedback provided by course faculty experienced in MI; 2) Inpatient medically supervised withdrawal (BWFH): Under the supervision of the Addiction Recovery Team, students will follow patients in a Level 4 inpatient medically supervised withdrawal unit. Students will treat patients with dual diagnoses in an intensive outpatient program and may co-facilitate group therapy. Students will gain experience in buprenorphine treatment, including initiation and maintenance, and participate in innovative care models such as collaborative care management or shared visit models. They may also co-facilitate groups.
To be considered for a grade of honors or above, students are expected to complete and present their work on a practical scholarly project.
Not Available for Cross Registration
Open to Domestic Visiting Students
Open to International Visiting Students
