RN roles in Harm Reduction

[Corpsman2OncRN, BSN, RN]

I'm currently an RN working inpatient oncology with about one year of experience, and while I love my job, I am extremely interested in the field of Harm Reduction and wondering if anyone is aware of what kind of roles or opportunities there may be for RN's in this specialty?

I lost my best friend to a heroin overdose which sparked my interest in the field and in things like syringe exchange programs and safe injection sites, etc. The recent decriminalization of drug use in Oregon has excited me and I hope that more job opportunities start to pop up for those in healthcare fields looking to work with drug users but at the moment I'm kind of at a loss for how to get my foot in the door (aside from working at a substance use rehabilitation facility which isn't exactly what I'm looking for).

Thanks in advance if anyone is able to help point me in the right direction! ?

PS: I should add, although I have no RN experience working in the field of substance use disorders, I did work as a behavioral health technician while in the Navy in both inpatient and outpatient mental health, with many of our inpatients there as a first stop before being placed in our substance abuse treatment programs, so I am somewhat familiar with that side of things as well.

[JKL33]

Public health. ??

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

You may want to do some general med-surg as well, to get exposure to patients who would benefit from behavioral changes to improve outcomes related to their diseases/conditions.

(And of course, some experience as a nurse in substance use disorders is an obvious choice.) If you weren't interested in that in an inpatient capacity, perhaps a methadone treatment center?

Both of these areas would help you down the line in public health...