Education and training
This page provides a list of resources for education and training in all aspects of opioid management, including Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD), safer opioid prescribing and supply, and overdose prevention. This list is regularly updated.
Pharmacotherapy training
Training is available to prescribers and dispensers taking part in the opioid pharmacotherapy program.
Training for prescribers
All Victorian general practitioners and nurse practitioners with a suitable notation may prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®) for up to 10 patients without undergoing additional training. To prescribe to more than 10 patients or to prescribe methadone, additional training is required.
General information and registration at www.racgp.org.au/the-racgp/faculties/vic/matod or follow the provided direct links below.
Training is provided by the Royal Australian College of General Practioners (RACGP) in three modules:
MATOD Module 1 – Safer Opioid Prescribing
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence
Module 1 – Safer Opioid Prescribing: An introduction to implement safe and effective opioid prescribing and to recognise, prevent and respond to problematic opioid abuse. This training is a prerequisite for prescribers who want to attend MATOD Module 2.
MATOD Module 1 click here MATOD Module 1
Please contact RACGP Projects Manager, Kerrianne Singleton on 03 8699 0468 or via email at vic.MATOD@racgp.org.au if you don’t have a RACGP number. This training is accessible by default for Victorian GPs. Interstate GPs please request access.
CPD Activity *4 points.
Module 1 training information and registration.
MATOD Module 2 – Opioid Use Disorder, Pharmacology & Dosing
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence
Module 2 – Opioid Use Disorder, Pharmacology & dosing: A comprehensive series of modules with videos and interviews with MATOD experts. It includes live zoom session that will allow participants to ask questions of the experts.
On completion of modules 1 and 2 you’ll be trained and recognised as a prescriber for methadone and buprenorphine based assisted treatment of opioid dependence.
Please contact MATOD Program Coordinator, Kodjo Nkyekyer on 03 8699 0016 or via email at vic.MATOD@racgp.org.au if you don’t have a RACGP number.
CPD Accredited Activity *40 points.
Module 2 training information and registration.
MATOD Module 3 – Long-acting Injectable Buprenorphine
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence
Module 3 – Long-acting injectable buprenorphine: Builds on knowledge of prescribing and administering long-acting injection buprenorphine, including how to select, initiate and manage patients who are using these new opioid substitutions.
Please contact MATOD Program Coordinator, Kodjo Nkyekyer on 03 8699 0016 or via email at vic.MATOD@racgp.org.au if you don’t have a RACGP number.
CPD Activity *4 points.
Module 3 training information and registration.
Training for pharmacists
Two training modules are available for pharmacotherapy dispensers – pharmacists and their support staff – delivered by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
Module 1 is a a self-directed learning module, delivered either online or face-to-face. It covers all basic requirements of harm minimisation and opioid replacement therapy, takes about two hours to complete, and is delivered entirely via web browser-based e-Learning.
Module 2 is a three-hour workshop, delivered by a facilitator as an online webinar or face-to-face in a small group. Concepts learnt in Module 1 are reiterated, and the workshop provides practical tips and guidance for participants to apply the knowledge in their own workplace. Module 2 is also a motivational session to encourage pharmacies to provide the opioid replacement therapy services.
Participants can choose to attend a one-day face-to-face seminar covering both modules, facilitated by a pharmacist experienced in harm minimisation.
Find out more and enrol for the training on the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia website
Other education and training
Victorian Opioid Management ECHO
Note: links in this section lead to a separate, dedicated ECHO website.
Upcoming ECHO sessions
More information and registration
The Victorian Opioid Management ECHO uses the Project ECHO framework to deliver no-cost, guided practice education in opioid managment. The program is a blend of didactic content and case-discussion, delivered entirely by video-conferencing and available to all Victorian health practitioners.
RACP e-Learning modules
The Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) offer a large number of free resources at their e-Learning centre, including modules covering opioid risk management and prescription drug misuse.
NPS MedicineWise CPD
NPS MedicineWise provide a large suite of continuing professional development (CPD) activities for GPs, pharmacists, nurses and students, including modules on opioids and other analgesia in chronic pain management, as well as important modules on the Victorian Government SafeScript initiative.
NPS MedicineWise CPD hub.
NPS MedicineWise SafeScript modules.
Better Pain Management
The Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists’ (ANZCA) Better Pain Management program is a series of twelve online education modules each designed to be completed in one hour. The program is intended for specialist and general medical practitioners, medical students, nurses and allied health practitioners engaged in the care of patients with persistent pain. There is a cost associated with undertaking this program.
Community Overdose Prevention Education
Penington Institute’s Community Overdose Prevention Education (COPE) program works with any organisation whose clients include people who use opioids and/or people who may witness an overdose.
COPE provide training and support, allowing services to set up their own programs to train clients to prevent, recognise and respond to opioid overdose using naloxone.