What do medical students learn about addiction?

I decided to try something a little different and record an interview with Derek Wolfe, a new medical school graduate and future psychiatrist with a special interest in addiction. (Maybe interviews will be a recurring thing.)

One of the outcomes of the opioid crisis is that physicians have been centered in addiction treatment and drug policy discussions.

As this shift gathers momentum, there’s been a push to eliminate the X-Waiver that requires physicians to receive 8 hours of training (nurse practitioners and physician assistants must receive 24 hours) to treat addiction patients with buprenorphine. This concerns many of us who have worked in the field for decades and voiced concern about the lack of attention to addiction in medical school curriculums. There is also a simultaneous effort to replace the X-Waiver with an SUD training requirement that is less opioid-centric.

We discuss all of this and how Derek’s experience working in a social detox and crisis residential program have influenced his learning and will influence his practice.

Discussed in this episode

The Healing Forest Project – Derek’s 8 part series about Ann Arbor, Michigan as an example of a healing forest.

Vital Discussions – Derek’s podcast focusing on issues of interest to medical students and professionals.