Addiction Medication Prescriber; County Classification: B.H. Nurse Practitioner

This recruitment may be used to fill future permanent, substitute, limited term, and temporary positions, both full-time and part-time throughout the County.

San Luis Obispo County Drug & Alcohol Services (DAS) is seeking a nurse practitioner (NP) to provide medication treatment and integrated care for individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.

This position is part of a multidisciplinary SUD treatment team and works closely with licensed psychiatric technicians, counselors, behavioral health clinicians, and other medical providers to provide accessible, evidence-based, patient-centered care.

• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating substance use disorders, including opioid, alcohol, stimulant, nicotine, cannabis, and other substance use disorders.
• Initiating, prescribing, and monitoring medications for addiction treatment, including oral and long-acting injectable buprenorphine, naltrexone/Vivitrol, disulfiram, medications for nicotine use disorder, and evidence-based off-label pharmacotherapies when appropriate.
• Maintaining familiarity with emerging substances and evolving patterns of use, including kratom and novel or synthetic compounds.
• Assessing withdrawal and clinical risk and collaborating with counselors and the multidisciplinary SUD team to determine appropriate levels of care and treatment settings.
• Evaluating and managing mild-to-moderate co-occurring psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance-induced psychiatric symptoms, and mood disorders. Consultation and support from the County mental health team are available for individuals with more complex or severe psychiatric illness.
• Utilizing motivational interviewing, harm-reduction principles, overdose-prevention strategies, and shared decision-making to engage patients across different stages of readiness for change.
• Supporting low-barrier access to addiction treatment and California DHCS's "No Wrong Door" approach to behavioral health and SUD services.
• Coordinating care across outpatient, residential, withdrawal management, emergency, hospital, and community-based settings.
• Participating in the continued expansion of mobile MAT and community-based addiction treatment services.

The position provides services across three DAS clinic locations in North County, San Luis Obispo, and South County. As mobile MAT services expand, the provider will also have opportunities to provide community-based care to individuals who may have difficulty accessing traditional clinic-based services.

• Have experience assessing and diagnosing substance use disorders and determining appropriate levels of care.
• Be comfortable initiating, prescribing, and monitoring FDA-approved medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders, including oral and long-acting injectable medications, and medications for nicotine use disorder.
• Be comfortable with or a willingness to learn how to prescribe off-label medications for stimulant use disorder, cannabis use disorder, and emerging substances such as kratom, and how to use new pharmacologic and harm-reduction approaches.
• Understand withdrawal assessment, overdose prevention, harm reduction, and transitions between levels of SUD care.
• Be comfortable managing mild-to-moderate co-occurring psychiatric conditions while recognizing when specialty psychiatric consultation or a higher level of mental health care is indicated.
• Have experience with motivational interviewing and patient-centered approaches to individuals who may be ambivalent about treatment or continue to use substances.
• Be comfortable caring for patients with ongoing substance use, relapse, inconsistent engagement, and complex psychosocial needs.
• Value…