Workforce, Day 3, Track 3, 11:00-12:30

Presented as part of the Uniting the global community to face the challenge of addiction event, in-person on 14th May, 2022

Presentations:

• Setting up ISAM NExT: A global network of Early Career Addiction Medicine Professionals by International Society of Addiction Medicine - Dr. Roshan Bhad
• Leveraging the Role of the Nurse in Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) - Dr Carmel Clancy, PhD
• The growth of a global Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine (NECPAM) - Dr. Nirvana Morgan

Abstracts:

• Setting up ISAM NExT: A global network of Early Career Addiction Medicine Professionals by International Society of Addiction Medicine - Dr. Roshan Bhad

Addiction Medicine is relatively a developing field of Medicine with many of young, enthusiastic professionals opting for a career in this field. However, there are a number of challenges they face in terms of lack of competency-based training due to a lack of trainers. There is low availability of institutes with infrastructure for adequate training. In several countries (particularly low income), young professionals are not able to consider a career in Addiction Medicine due to this limitation. However, even in upper middle and lower middle- income countries there are limited resources and training opportunities for early career professionals. In high income countries, where there is no dearth of experts and infrastructure, early career professionals struggle with mentorship, lack of jobs and choosing a suitable research area. Thus, there is a need for a global platform which will help connect addiction professionals with eminent trainers from different parts of the world, creating opportunities for research as well as fellowships and facilitate mentorship. Establishment ofISAM NExT committee, a global network for early career addiction medicine professionals by International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) is a welcome step in this regard. This symposium will discuss vision and objectives of the committee, its social media presence, mentorship and international networking activities.

• Leveraging the Role of the Nurse in Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) - Dr Carmel Clancy, PhD

Nurses make up the greatest portion of the health service workforce globally, and in some countries, this extends to social care. The World Health Organization (WHO) in their report on the State of the World’s Nursing (2020) which captures data from 191 countries reported that there are 27.9 million nurses globally. The report identifies 19 million professional nurses who have trained at least 3-4 years, and 6 million associate professional nurses who have trained between 1-2 years.

Recognized as major contributors in the delivery of health and social care in a wide range of settings, including acute and primary health care; secondary and tertiary services, nurses provide a significant opportunity to advance global health and wellbeing at the local (i.e., country), regional and global level. 

Most individuals with substance use problems are not seen by specialists, but in general practice, hospitals, accident and emergency units, and in more generic locations such as social services, schools, prisons. All settings where nurses work and offer care.

This presentation will offer an overview of how nurses are uniquely positioned to provide high-quality, evidence-based addictions nursing care for patients, families, populations and communities.

• The growth of a global Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine (NECPAM) - Dr. Nirvana Morgan

One of the greatest challenges in the field of addiction medicine is the development of a lasting workforce. Therefore in 2017, the global Network of Early Career Professionals working in the area of Addiction Medicine (NECPAM) was formed. NECPAM's mission is to connect, empower and facilitate the evolution of early career professionals working in the field of addiction and related disorders worldwide. We achieve this by facilitating peer-led research and practical initiatives at both local and international levels – working towards reducing the stigma associated with addiction and related disorders. Since the networks inception we have grown in membership, conducted research, shared knowledge and supported one another during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. NECPAM's future plans are focused on identifying and meeting the education and training needs of early career professionals, partnership and collaborations with other networks and continued growth. NECPAM wishes to make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the global challenge of addiction. The presentation will share insights about the network's aims, activities and outputs as well as invite collaboration for future initiatives.