The pandemic has dramatically increased the complexity of concerns that patients bring to us and simultaneously increased compassion fatigue among providers.

The Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society (SSVMS) has partnered with the California Medical Association to provide free CME webinars for physicians aimed at increasing rewarding interactions with patients to reduce burnout, engaging patients in behavior change, and enhancing their motivation for treatment, specifically medication assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders.

The upcoming webinars in this series include:

Making a Difference in 10 minutes: Motivational Interviewing for substance use disorders
Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Motivational interviewing (MI) may have more research to support its effectiveness than most medications and using it increases the chances our interactions with patients will be more rewarding, more connected and less argumentative. In this practical workshop, you'll get a brief overview of the most current and compelling research on MI and substance use disorders; learn the five most powerful strategies for helping patients struggling with substance use disorders or other behavior changes; and learn two anti-growth statements to avoid saying to patients to increase the likelihood of positive care outcomes.  

Addiction pharmacology: Enhancing confidence and comfort in helping pregnant women
Thursday, December 1, 2022

Medication-assisted treatment for addiction using buprenorphine is now primary care, yet not all physicians feel comfortable with the pharmacology. In this workshop, you’ll hear the current best practices for using buprenorphine to treat opioid disorder in pregnant and parenting women, with plenty of time for questions.

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome vs. Neurobehavioral Deficits in the Newborn: The Differential Diagnosis
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

How do clinicians differentiate the effects of and infants’ dependence on opioids from infants with neurobehavioral deficits due to non-opioid exposure? This session will address that question and provide an effective approach to diagnosing Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome in newborn infants.

These events are free for all interested parties. Register today at cmadocs.org/events.

These activities have been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the California Medical Association (CMA) and Sacramento Sierra Valley Medical Society (SSVMS). CMA is accredited by ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The California Medical Association designates these live activitiesfor a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.