Course Overview

This evidence-based continuing education course brings together the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain and Nevada's own controlled substance prescribing laws in one practical course written for nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and other APRNs who prescribe in Nevada. It covers what NRS 632.2375 requires, the current opioid overdose landscape nationally and in Nevada, how substance use and other addictive disorders develop and are diagnosed, and how to prescribe opioids safely while recognizing and treating opioid use disorder.

Topics include: the NRS 632.2375 requirement and the federal MATE Act, the opioid crisis today including fentanyl and polysubstance overdose, substance use disorder as a medical condition and the neurobiology of addiction, physical dependence versus addiction, other addictive disorders, risk factors for opioid use disorder and overdose, risk assessment before and during opioid therapy, language and stigma in the therapeutic relationship, the 12 recommendations of the 2022 CDC guideline, how opioids work and why they cause harm, nonopioid and nonpharmacologic options, morphine milligram equivalents, toxicology testing, Nevada prescribing law including PMP review under NRS 639.23507, the 14 day and 90 MME acute pain limits under NRS 639.2391, prescription medication agreements under NRS 639.23914 and long-term therapy review under NRS 639.23913, safe storage and disposal, naloxone for every patient at risk, medications for opioid use disorder, opioid use disorder in pregnancy, managing patients already on long-term opioids, safe tapering, and responding to concerning behaviors.

Each chapter includes case-based self-check questions with answers, and the course concludes with a 10-question post-test. Emphasis is placed on strategies APRNs can use at the next visit: nonopioid therapies first, the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration, PMP review and documentation that meets Nevada law, naloxone co-prescribing, and compassionate, evidence-based care for patients with substance use disorders.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the Nevada continuing education requirement under NRS 632.2375, the current opioid overdose landscape, and the clinical features, diagnosis, and risk factors of opioid use disorder and other substance use and addictive disorders.
2. Apply the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain and Nevada prescribing laws, including patient evaluation, informed consent, prescription monitoring program review, prescription medication agreements, and dose and duration limits.
3. Identify evidence-based strategies to reduce opioid-related harm, including naloxone, medications for opioid use disorder, safe tapering, and compassionate management of patients with substance use disorders.

Key Features

Course Author: Joanna Nolte, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, Accredited Provider Program Director. Nurse Planner: Vanessa Cameron, PhD, RN. No conflicts of interest to disclose.

Release date: November 1, 2026. Expires October 31, 2029.