Also called: Methadone Clinic Nurse, Dosing Nurse
Gives daily doses of methadone or buprenorphine at a licensed opioid treatment clinic and checks how each patient is doing.
Doors open at 5:30 a.m., and a line of patients is already waiting to get their dose before work. She checks ID, pours each exact methadone dose from a computer-controlled pump, watches it swallowed, and notices who looks sleepy or sick. In the afternoon she counts every milligram for the DEA log.
LPNs earn less than RNs; estimate for clinic nurses.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. LPN certificate (about 1 year) or RN degree (2-4 years) plus a state nursing license; clinics train new nurses on addiction medicine.
Ways in: 2-year college, Certification, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Nursing, Practical Nursing (LPN).
Growing faster than average. Methadone and buprenorphine treatment keeps expanding during the overdose crisis.
Low risk for 10 years. Automated dosing pumps and electronic records already handle measuring; face-to-face checks of each patient stay with nurses.
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Health science CTE, Psychology.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.