Nursing and Medical Student Attitude Regarding Substance Use Disorders Transformed through Multi-Disciplinary Clinical Rotation in Addiction Treatment Center

Medical and Nursing students are educated, trained and tested in a variety of clinical areas and specialties. Their exposure to substance use disorders is limited and often not a primary focus in the clinical setting. The care and treatment of this population crosses over throughout all care settings, which complicates treatment approaches and delivery of services. This lack of experience and knowledge can cause decreased confidence and negative attitudes when forced to provide care to them when they become independent practitioners. A clinical rotation was established with Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and Villanova University in the fall of 2015. Literature review reveals not only a lack of research on the effects of clinical rotations in addiction treatment with medical and nursing students, but a lack of inclusion of this rotation in most academic institutions. Designing a clinical rotation in an Addiction Treatment Center that includes education of substance abuse, participation in group therapies and lectures, and interactions with patients should have a strong impact in their future care of patients with addiction. Hypothesis: The student clinical rotation experience at Treatment Center will have a positive impact on participants measured through the Brief Substance Abuse Attitude Survey. Presentation: 39:3