Join Dr. Mark Garofoli on the front lines of pain management in the opioid crisis by earning a Pain Management Specialty Pharmacist (PMSP) Certificate!
Easily Complete Your Pain Management Training in Our Convenient & On-demand Format!
freeCE offers pharmacy staff and independent pharmacies the opportunity to offer specialized training around the appropriate use of opioids in pain management for their patients. This training program equips learners with practical knowledge and the confidence needed to recommend pain management strategies.
Background
Pain Management Specialty Pharmacist: Managing Opioids is part of a three-part in depth exploration of the pharmacist’s role in contemporary pain management. As national prescribing patterns change for opioids, patients can be left confused and frustrated. This certificate seeks to equip the pharmacist with a comprehensive knowledge of these medications, with a focus on practical tips for advising patients at the pharmacy counter.
Program Description
This 9-hour specialty certificate, consists of 7 comprehensive modules specific to opioid therapy. This is part 1 of a three-part pain management program offered as a PharmCon specialty certificate.
Opioid Considerations
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to explore general considerations regarding safe and effective prescription opioid utilization in pain management including aspects such as renal dosing, hepatic dosing, gradual opioid tapering, opioid rotation, and the calculation of morphine milligram equivalent (MME) daily dosages. This session also review the various manners of classifying prescription opioids based on structural class, mechanism of action, origin, and polarity, and controlled substance class.
Traditional Opioids
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to explore appropriate patient recommendations and explanations for the “traditional” (or typical) prescription opioid medications based on respective pharmacological characteristics.
Atypical Opioids
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to explore appropriate patient recommendations and explanations for the “atypical” (or non-traditional) prescription opioid medications based on respective pharmacological characteristics.
ADF Opioids
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session reviews the additional study category for a medication to not only attain FDA-Approval, but to additionally have FDA-Approval as an abuse deterrent formulation (ADF) prescription opioid medication. This session will review product selection and patient counseling points for the ADF prescription opioids that are FDA-Approved as an ADF opioid medication and actually available on the U.S. market.
Illicit Opioids
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to provide counseling for patients stating personal utilization of diverted prescription opioids or opioid substances of abuse based on respective pharmacological properties. This session will also distinguish between the diverging legal classification and potency of opioid substances of abuse, along with reviewing typical administration techniques and utilization trends of common opioid substances of abuse.
Opioid Interactions
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to explore appropriate patient recommendations regarding opioid interactions on both the pharmacological aspects including enzymes and transporters, QTc interval changes, and overlapping serotonergic effects; and patient diversity aspects including pharmacogenomics, gender, and age. This session will also review the powerful impact drug-drug sedative interactions have on the increased risk of adverse effects such as general patient harm, additive sedation, and overdose.
Opioid Side Effects
This session is part of the Opioid Module, which explores the safe and effective utilization of prescription opioids within diverse pain management treatment plans within the realm of the opioid crisis. This session seeks to identify appropriate proactive patient education on the most common side effects of opioid medications including Opioid-Induced Constipation (OIC), Opioid-Induced Nausea/Vomiting (OINV), amongst multiple others. Naloxone is discussed with in the context of opioid overdose rescue as well as various adjuvant treatments for opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Dr. Mark “Pain Guy” Garofoli is a 2004 graduate from the Pitt School of Pharmacy and a 2008 graduate of the Strayer University MBA program, and is a Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP), Certified Pain Educator (CPE), and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTs), with APhA certificate training in Immunizations and Medication Therapy Management (MTM).
He began his career as a pharmacist and field management with CVS Health, then became an MTM pharmacist with Humana Healthcare, before initially joining the WVU School of Pharmacy by developing MTM and managed care pain management programs. Dr. Garofoli created and coordinated the West Virginia Expert Pain Management Panel, which developed the West Virginia Safe & Effective Management of Pain (SEMP) Guidelines. He is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Experiential Learning for the WVU School of Pharmacy, along with being a Clinical Pain Management & Addiction Pharmacist at the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management and faculty in the WVU School of Medicine Pain Fellowship.
Mark is also a 2021 TEDx Talk presenter and a recipient of the WV GenerationRx Award. Dr. Garofoli has consulted as CDC grant reviewer, an expert witness in multiple criminal and civil court cases, multiple advisory boards, and is the host of the Pain Pod on the Pharmacy Podcast Network while also developing and conducting presentations across the country revolving around pain management, substance-use disorder (addiction), substances of abuse, and drug diversion.
Some important notes to remember regarding the Pain Management Specialty Pharmacist: Managing Opioids (PMSPMO) Certificate:
Registration costs $135 for members, $235 for non-members.
Once you have completed the specialty certificate, you are eligible to claim a sharable digital badge. Learn more about badges here.
This program's final exam consists of 50 unique multiple-choice questions.
You have only three (3) attempts to pass the final exam.
You may not leave the final exam in the middle and return at a later time.
The final exam has no time limit; however, we recommend that you write the answers down in case you lose your Internet connection or get interrupted while taking the exam.
You will earn continuing education credit as you complete each activity, totaling 9 credits upon final completion
You will have 12 months to complete the specialty certificate before it expires from your account.
This specialty certificate is accredited for pharmacists ONLY.
