Addiction Care in the Health System - Course details - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Summary

The aim of this CPD is to bridge the knowledge gap in addiction treatment and care through empowering healthcare professionals to be confident in the assessment, diagnosis and intervention of substance use disorders through person-centred care of persons experiencing addiction.

All sessions will be delivered live online by subject experts across a range of disciplines, including nursing, medicine and pharmacy from national and international contexts. There are also a number of PPI contributors.

This 12-week programme will commence on 16 September 2026 and will run every Wednesday evening from 7-9pm until 2 December 2026.

Programme lead: Professor Mary Rose Sweeney, Executive Vice Dean for Education, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, RCSI.

Addiction Care in the Health System brochure PDF | 1097.5 KB

Learning outcomes

At the end of this programme learners will:

Understand the epidemiology, causes, contributory factors, morbidity, and mortality of addiction at national and international levels.
Critically analyse theories of addiction, comprehend normal and abnormal neuroscience, and understand the pharmacology and pathophysiology of common addictive substances.
Conduct comprehensive health assessments and provide best practice, person-centred care for individuals experiencing addiction.
Critically appreciate different addiction treatment pathways and be able to implement them effectively.
Critically understand the psycho-socio-economic impacts of addiction and current policies and legislation in Ireland and beyond.