**University of Colorado College of Nursing SBIRT Program**

**Program Description and Model:** The University of Colorado College of Nursing (CU CON), is developing and implementing the *Nurses Helping Colorado (NHC)*training program to teach 675 nursing undergraduate (BS) and 150 graduate (APRN) students to provide culturally-competent, evidence-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) services to patients at-risk for substance use disorders. The college is partnering with the *SBIRT Colorado*program to develop, implement, and evaluate SBIRT education in the BS and APRN programs, support students’ use of SBIRT in multidisciplinary, collaborative clinical practicum experiences, and explore ways to sustain and disseminate SBIRT training in the CON and in practice settings after graduation. Our program has a special focus on training clinicians who work with underserved populations, as well as rural patients, racial and ethnic minority group members, low-income patients, and others. 

**Special Unique Features and Population:**

The University of Colorado College of Nursing has 3 cohorts of undergraduate nursing students enrolled at all times:

1.       Accelerated students taking 12 months to complete

2.      Traditional students taking 24 months to complete

3.      RN-BS students taking approximately 1 year to complete  

Given that the undergraduate BS students have no clinical knowledge or background at the start of the program, we decided in meetings with faculty leaders that we would THREAD SBIRT content throughout the curriculum for better integration and sustainability in practice. Students therefore receive training on specific SBIRT components in the first BS nursing course, Assessment, and additional SBIRT and motivational interviewing content in each specialty courses such as Medical/Surgical Nursing, OB and Pediatric Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Geriatric Nursing, and Public Health Nursing. The goal is for students to integrate and demonstrate proficiency in SBIRT by the time they reach the Public Health Nursing course.  All BS students have access to web-based SBIRT and motivational interviewing training modules as well as in-person SBIRT training from expert clinicians with the use of role play and simulation.  Clinical simulations are being developed for each clinical course.  Additionally, we are working with community preceptors at key practice sites as well as with our own faculty to change the “culture” of nursing to see substance use as a preventable and treatable illness and to approach substance use like any other chronic illness condition.  Preceptors will evaluate the students’ use of SBIRT in practice in community organizations over the next 2 years. 

For the graduate advanced practice student, or APRN, our approach is a bit different.   We will train students in six APRN specialties: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (AGNP), Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP), Nurse Midwife (NMW), and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). All APRN students will start with a 3-hour full SBIRT training in the Advanced Assessment course that focuses on MI and includes role plays. An additional 2-3 hours of SBIRT content will be provided in specialty courses (e.g., Diagnosis and Management 2, Advanced Gerontological concepts, Chronic Illness of Children, Chronic illness of Women), which is tailored to the different populations these APRNs will serve. Clinical competency in the use of SBIRT at the APRN level will be evaluated over years 2 and 3 in inter-disciplinary practice settings based on APRN students’ entry of case details into an electronic medical record.  

**Contact Information for the Project Director**: Mary Weber, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAANP

University of Colorado College of Nursing

303-724-2949

Mary.Weber@UCDenver.edu