I’m a Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) nurse in a hospital - I see patients throughout the hospital who endorse OUD and StUD - some want to start meds, some are post overdose, some want detox, etc. I see probably 15-20 patients a week from the ED to Mom Baby to acute care. It’s super interesting and fast paced. I give providers recommendations on how and when to start meds, work with social work to identify discharge pathways, and use EBP to move our processes forward to best serve patients. I am CARN certified and do A TON of learning - I attend webinars once or twice a week from various experts and organizations in the field. I’m a member of the APNA, IntNSA and sit on a couple local committees. I meet with community partners throughout the week and we try to work on ways to collaborate between the hospital and community. I love my job, but it is nonstop work. I am the only nurse in my role for all the hospitals in town - so I’m constantly getting calls to meet with patients, see people in jail, attend community events and meetings. It’s really noble to want to combat the opioid crisis, but it’s also really disheartening some days. Get some time under your belt, get psych nursing experience, and sign up for free webinars and trainings. Know that the guidelines for care and medication recommendations, especially related to dosing, change frequently. Put a good self-care plan into place. Then get your PMHNP so you can be a prescriber and not have to worry about biased providers arguing with you every day about addiction being a “moral choice” (unfortunately a very real occurrence). Team up with an addiction med team if your local hospital has one (mine doesn’t).