Addiction Medicine
This is a one-week Addiction Medicine rotation with clinical responsibilities at the DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Substance Abuse Recovery Program (SARP) and the Honoring Individual Power and Strength (HIPS) program. By the end of the rotation, you will also complete training to become a buprenorphine waivered medical practitioner.
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We hope you enjoy your experience on the Addiction Medicine rotation!
on your first day
Please arrive to the VA Chief Resident Office at 8:45am for orientation on your first day. After orientation, you will be directed to SARP on 3C.
location
This rotation will take place at the DC VA Medical Center and at HIPS. You will be predominantly located in the SARP clinic on 3C at the VAMC. Lectures and other didactics will be a mix of in-person and virtual learning. Residents on the Addiction Medicine rotation are expected to join inpatient wards residents for all noon conferences and intern reports. Please see the Weekly Schedule below for more information.
typical day
Generally, the schedule for the Addiction Medicine rotation is Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Please see the table below for the full weekly schedule. Additional specific instructions regarding each of the components of the Addiction Medicine rotation are also provided below.
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DC VA SARP
You will rotate with the DC VAMC SARP clinic on Monday and Wednesday-Friday starting at 9:00 and into the early afternoon, as dictated by the needs of the clinic each day. You will be expected to attend at least 1 group session in the morning and 1 group session in the afternoon. These group sessions are virtual until further notice. Please see call in numbers on the form attached to welcome to VA email you will receive prior to your rotation
Points of contact for DC VAMC SARP program include the VA Chief Residents as well as VA SARP personnel:
Dr. Edward Radden – Staff Psychiatrist and SARP Medical Director (Edward.RaddenIII@va.gov)
Dr. Sarah Kleinfeld – VA Psychiatry Residency Site Director (Sarah.Kleinfeld2@va.gov)
Mr. Dela Gbekor – (Dela.Gbekor@va.gov)
Mr. Fred Brevard – (Fred.Brevard@va.gov)
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Buprenorphine Training
You will have dedicated time in the afternoon to complete the 8 hour buprenorphine waiver training. The Buprenorphine Waiver Online Training can be accessed at the link below: https://pcssnow.org/medications-for-opioid-use-disorder/waiver-training-for-physicians/
Please follow the instructions listed on the website to complete the waiver training. This is a mandatory part of the rotation. Once completed, please email the certificate.
Johns Hopkins Modules
During your rotation, please choose and complete at least 2 out of the following 3 modules and email the completed certificates:
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Main Menu | Internal Medicine Curriculum (peaconline.org)
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Addiction: Illicit Drugs
Alcohol Use Disorders
Prescription Drug Use Disorders
Days Off
You are off on Saturday and Sunday. Please note that this is a required rotation, therefore it is expected that you attend all required components of the rotation. Do not schedule doctor appointments, licensing exams, or other non-urgent/emergent absences during this rotation. Any unexpected absences must be discussed with a Chief Resident immediately. Absences from the rotation that are not discussed with a Chief Resident beforehand are grounds for a letter of deficiency.
didactics
You are required to participate in all the Internal Medicine Residency Program lectures during this rotation. Noon Conference is given every day from 12:00-1:00pm. This includes general Noon Conference, Grand Rounds (most Wednesdays, on Webex or in person) and Life Conference (most Fridays, on Webex or in person). On days when there is no Grand Rounds or Life Conference, there will be a regular Chief Resident-led Noon Conference. Please login to the DC VA MedRes website (dcvamedres.com pw: dcvamedres) and click on the Conference Schedule link to access the lecture calendar and any relevant Zoom/Webex Links.
You are also expected to attend the in-person Intern Report every Thursday from 2:00-3:00pm in the Conference Room adjacent to the Chiefs’ Office on 4C. You will be joined by the other interns on VA Inpatient Wards Service for Intern Report.
Last day / Feedback
On your last day of the rotation, please send a copy/proof of completion of the buprenorphine waiver training to GW-VA Chief Resident Joe Cioffi at Joseph.Cioffi2@va.gov. Failure to provide evidence of complete of the waiver may result in letter of deficiency.
At any point during the rotation, please feel free to provide real-time feedback on how things are going. This will allow us to make improvements to the rotation quickly. Please note that you will also receive a Rotation Evaluation in MedHub at the end of your Rotation in which you can provide additional feedback.