Hiring: Opioid Response Network Clinical Training Outreach Project Director

PAEA anticipates receiving a subaward to fund an Opioid Response Network (ORN) clinical training outreach project director position. This is a temporary position that will last from August 31, 2020, through August 21, 2022. PAEA invites applications from the PA education community. This position is full-time (0.8 FTE), 30 hours per week, and may be remote or local to Washington, DC.

This position is conditional upon the award of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response grant to the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP). PAEA is partnering with AAAP to achieve its aim to address the opioid crisis by increasing access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and reducing opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention and recovery services.

Primary Responsibilities

The purpose of the PAEA ORN effort is to facilitate clinical training experiences for PA students, including exposure to patients with substance use disorders in clinical settings that provide MAT services. An additional goal is to address a lack of familiarity with PAs among mental and behavioral health providers. This will be accomplished through two parallel efforts undertaken concurrently in both years of the subaward:

1. Establish connections and relationships with substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider organizations such as the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Osteopathic Academy of Addition Medicine, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and the American Psychiatric Association. The project director will attend six (6) annual conferences each year and meet with the organizations’ leadership to educate them about the training of PA students and the suitability of graduates as a workforce pipeline for mental and behavioral health practices treating patients with SUD.
2. Connect MAT-waivered PAs, NPs, and physicians where PAEA’s 20 PRAC-ED-PA SUD grant partner programs are located. Students from these programs will not only have taken the MAT waiver training, but they will also have taken and passed the PRAC-ED-PA SUD curriculum.

Qualifications

• A PA faculty member with a strong clinical practice and clinical coordinator background that includes primary care and/or caring for patients with SUDs
• Demonstrated leadership skills as this role includes devising a comprehensive outreach strategy with potential preceptors and interacting with other health professions’ leadership on a national and regional level
• A background in project development and management, evaluation, and scholarly work
• Flexibility, including responding to meeting requests on short notice and traveling and working on weekends as required

Compensation level is competitive with the market and includes benefits.

PAEA encourages submissions of Letters of Interest (LOI) and a current CV in advance of subaward funding. Interested candidates should email their LOI and CV to Lynn Heitzman and Dave Keahey, MSPH, PA-C, at lheitzman@PAEAonline.org and dkeahey@PAEAonline.org. Questions about the position are encouraged and may be emailed to Dave Keahey.

PAEA is an equal opportunity employer and is seeking qualified individuals from all backgrounds and experiences.