Substance Abuse Education in Schools of Nursing: A National Survey

Abstract

A concern whether the expansion of knowledge in substance abuse nursing and the contemporary prevalence of substance use disorders had influenced current educational offerings in schools of nursing provided an impetus for this national survey. The purpose of the study was to obtain information about current curricular offerings in substance abuse by schools of nursing. A total of 1,035 questionnaires were mailed to schools of nursing. Respondents included 336 schools representing a 36% return rate. The sample included 154 baccalaureate (46%), 126 associate degree (38%), and 56 diploma (17%) programs. All but one state (Alaska) of the U.S. were part of the sample. The questionnaire used for this study was adapted from one developed for a survey of alcohol and drug abuse content taught in medical schools (Pokorney & Solomon, 1983). Modifications were limited to placing questions in a nursing context. All responding schools included substance abuse in curricular offerings with the largest number (N = 192; 57%) reporting the teaching of alcohol and drug content in a combined manner. The number of required hours of instruction reported most frequently was one to five (N = 242; 72%), which did not differ significantly for the three types of programs. The relatively small number of required hours of instruction would seem disproportionate to the scope and prevalence of substance abuse problems present in patient populations.