Addiction Medication Prescriber (County Classification: B.H. Nurse Practitioner)

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.

Primary responsibilities include:

• 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.

The ideal candidate is an NP with at least three years of relevant clinical experience and demonstrated experience caring for individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.

The successful candidate will:

• 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 multidisciplinary care and collaboration with SUD counselors, nurses, therapists, case managers, peers, and other medical providers.
• Be familiar with, or interested in learning, California's behavioral health and SUD treatment systems, including DHCS's “No Wrong Door” approach.
• Have a strong interest in improving access to treatment for underserved populations and individuals who have historically experienced barriers to MAT, mental health, and SUD services.
• Be flexible and comfortable practicing across multiple clinic and community-based settings.

Formal training or board certification in Addiction Medicine or Addiction Psychiatry is highly desirable but not required. Experience in community behavioral health, FQHCs, correctional health, street medicine, emergency medicine, or other settings serving individuals with complex substance use disorders is also desirable.

Education and Experience

A: Education and experience required to receive and maintain a license to practice as a Registered Nurse and registration as a Nurse Practitioner from the California Board of Registered Nursing;
And B: completion of a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner certification program, or master's degree in psychiatric mental health nursing, or 5 years' experience in direct treatment of individuals with psychiatric or substance use disorders

Applications, including answers to supplemental questions, must be submitted online by the final filing date.  Apply for this position at governmentjobs.com/careers/slocountyca. Most County recruitments require you to respond to supplemental questions as part of the application process.  We recommend that you review these questions prior to beginning your application. Your attached resume will not substitute for thecompletion of the application. Please complete all required fields andsupplemental questions.

An initial application review will be conducted. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and are best qualified will be invited to participate in selection activities which may include online assessments, performance exams, written exams, and interviews.

Final candidates will be required to have an in-depth background review performed before proceeding in the process. Please note that references will not be contacted until the end of the process.

Be advised that while use of AI is common practice, we want to see your individual style and critical thinking skills in your answers to the supplemental questions. 

If you have questions or would like to discuss the opportunity further, please contact Human Resources at hr@co.slo.ca.us. Confidential inquiries are welcome.

For further information regarding the County of San Luis Obispo, visit our website at www.slocounty.ca.gov.

Salary : $132,683 - $177,819