Comprehensive Pain Management Certificate Program

APhA's Comprehensive Pain Management certificate training program is designed to equip pharmacists with training on pain, pain management, and substance use disorder. In these core modules pharmacists will gain training in four domains that will cover clinical pharmacologic knowledge, tools for caring for patients in practice, various aspects of care for patients with substance use disorder, and the shifting landscape surrounding pain and opioids from a legal, regulatory, public health and payor perspective.

This 20-hour certificate training program is designed to equip pharmacists with comprehensive training on pain, pain management, and substance use disorder. Pharmacists will gain training in four domains that will cover clinical pharmacologic knowledge, tools for caring for patients in practice, various aspects of care for patients with substance use disorder, and the shifting landscape surrounding pain and opioids from a legal, regulatory, public health and payor perspective.

Modules Included

• Module 1: Introduction to opioids
• Module 2: The ins and outs of opioid equianalgesia and opioid conversion
• Module 3: Introduction to non-opioid pharmacology
• Module 4: Combining your options: Multi-modal pain management.
• Module 5: Buprenorphine and pain management: What every pharmacist needs to know.
• Module 6: Gathering all the facts: Assessing your patient's pain.
• Module 7:  Identifying & managing opioid-induced constipation & opioid-induced respiratory depression.
• Module 8: How to taper opioids safely and effectively.
• Module 9: Addressing opioid stigma and related social determinants of health.
• Module 10: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment
• Module 11: MOUD 101: Understanding medications for opioid use disorder.
• Module 12: Everything you need to know about naloxone.
• Module 13: Family matters: Understanding & addressing the impact of addiction on family units.
• Module 14: CDC opioid guidelines 2022 update
• Module 15: Managing pain and scrutiny: The pharmacist's legal and ethical responsibilities.
• Module 16: Risk assessment and mitigation strategies to prevent diversion.
• Module 17: The pharmacist's role in safe medication disposal