Ensuring Advanced Practice Nursing Students Meet the 2023 Drug Enforcement Agency Requirements

Abstract

Background: All advanced practice nursing students in the doctor of nursing practice program at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing are required to complete 3 core courses (pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment). As of June 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) required all prescribers of controlled medications to attest to at least 8 hours of substance use training. Purpose: To quantify the amount of time advanced practice nursing students learn substance use–related content and engage in teaching/learning activities across the 3 courses as a basis for meeting the DEA requirement. Methods: Lead course faculty teaching identified content related to substance use disorders, including reading assignments and skill-building activities, and the minimum amount of time that students spend in those teaching/learning experiences. Results: Advanced practice nursing students complete a total of 14 hours of substance use–related content in the 3 core courses. Conclusions: This article describes substance use–related content and strategies that can be integrated in advanced practice nursing programs for students to meet the new DEA requirement.