Medical Practitioners Applying for Accreditation
All medical practitioners can apply for accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence after completing the OTAC and undertaking a clinical placement. This page overviews how to complete a clinical placement and to apply for accreditation in NSW.
How to complete a clinical placement and apply for accreditation?
Upon completing of the OTAC, medical practitioners can complete a clinical placement with a placement supervisor or ongoing mentor. Your supervisor will assess you based on your performance at the placement and provide a recommendation for accreditation. This forms the final step as part of your application to for accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies in NSW.
As of August 2023, the clinical placement and application for accreditation forms are now completed online via an online portal. Prior to accessing the portal you must:
- Complete the Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course, including successful completion of the multiple choice examination.
- Contact a suitable clinical placement supervisor, and have in principle agreement that they will provide undertake a clinical placement with you. Within the form you must include the details of the supervisor. Please contact us if you require assistance with finding a local supervisor, or alternatively you can refer to the below guidance for who is typically an appropriate supervisor.
To complete the form, you will also require a recent CV, including any relevant drug and alcohol training, including any relevant drug and alcohol training, and your letter of completion for the OTAC. If you cannot locate your letter of completion, please contact us.
Clinical Placement Review Form
During your clinical placement, your supevisor will use this form as as a review guide to assess your practical the competencies as part of the accreditation process. This form can be downloaded for use on the day of your placement.
Who can be a Clinical Placement Supervisor or Mentor?
As a general rule, the following health professionals are deemed appropriate supervisors:
- Addiction medicine specialist (that is, a medical practitioner who is a member of the RACP Chapter of Addiction Medicine)
- Addiction psychiatry specialist (that is, a medical practitioner who is a member of RANZCP Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry)
- Another experienced prescriber of opioid agonist treatment (e.g., general practitioner specialist) may be appropriate as a supervisor. We recommend you contact us to confirm if they are appropriate before undertaking a placement.
- An experienced nurse practitioner in a drug and alcohol setting who prescribes opioid agonist treatment may be appropriate as a supervisor. We recommend you contact us to confirm if they are appropriate before undertaking a placement.
- In regional and remote areas, other options for clinical placements can be considered, and we encourage you to contact us to discuss these options.
Are you a medical practitioner working in a drug and alcohol setting?
If you are a medical practitioner that is currently or was recently within a drug and alcohol setting, which included specific training to provide opioid pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence, then the specific guidance for a placement may apply:
- Your clinic supervisor can decide to complete an assessment of your clinical competencies by completing the clinical placement as part of their usual reflective supervision practices without undertaking a formal placement (i.e., not a specific in-person placement, but more an assessment overall of your current practice).
- Alternatively, your supervisor may still decide to undertake a more formal placement supervision with you, and you should discuss this directly with your supervisor. This is at the discretion of your supervisor. It is recommended that you complete the clinical placement within 12 months of complete the OTAC.
You can contact us if you require assistance finding a supervisor near you.
What happens after my clinical placement?
After the clinical placement supervisor has submitted their assessment of your clinical placement, your application will be allocated to the next session of the NSW Ministry of Health Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee (OPS). In most cases you will not need to do anything further, however the OPS Secretariat may follow-up with additional questions.
To ensure your application is considered at an upcoming OPS meeting, your placement assessment must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the following committee dates:
Upcoming OPS Committee Dates 2023
- Thursday, 26th October
- Thursday, 14th December
If your application is urgent and you believe needs to be considered out of session, contact us.
Once accredited, your placement supervisor and your local drug and alcohol service can provide you with ongoing advice and support for providing patient care. You can contact us to facilitate linkage with your local drug and alcohol service.