If you’re a health care provider, first responder, social worker, or even just a concerned individual, you may have heard the term SBIRT. But what does SBIRT stand for, and what purpose does it serve? SBIRT means Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. It is a free continuing education class for those in the healthcare field that encourages healthcare providers to screen and provide advice or counseling to their patients who misuse alcohol or other substances. SBIRT training can take place online or in person, but there are benefits that come with completing this course online, which we will go into further here.
For one, SBIRT training is useful in a healthcare setting because there are multiple settings in which opportunities exist for early intervention and screening. So it is of benefit for these workers to have the training and knowledge to identify and screen at-risk substance users. Primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other healthcare settings are highly important locations of focus, but first responders and social workers benefit from this course as well.
These professions are time consuming, sometimes with rigid schedules, and the addition of a training can be difficult when it must be scheduled and attended in person. In Utah, employers like the University of Utah host free SBIRT training online, that can be completed at one’s own pace. This course typically takes between 3 and 5 hours, and does not need to be completed in one sitting, unlike similar in-person courses.
The time commitment involved with completing the course is not very significant, but the benefits are huge. Once you’re certified to help with screening and early intervention, the lives you alter for the better are their own reward. In just a few short hours of online work, you can gain knowledge and techniques that will help patients with substance misuse problems that otherwise could have gone unnoticed.
So consider the factors: in just a few short hours of online, self-paced SBIRT training, someone in the healthcare field could gain additional knowledge that will aid them in helping the lives of their patients. Additionally, this online course is completely free.
The SBIRT continuing education free online training empowers you with the tools you need to help get your patients on a safe path. Interested in learning more, want to enroll in the next course, or just have questions? The University of Utah’s SBIRT online training course will empower health care providers and public servants to help our Utah community, free of charge.
Substance Education Institute provides free CME credits all online in Salt Lake City. Contact them today for a free SBIRT training online in Utah.
