What is the Role of a Substance Abuse Professional?
The main goal of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the “Clearinghouse Rule” is to keep motorists safe on our nation’s roads and highways. When the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) established the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, they gave several groups of people access to the database. These groups include: employers, drivers, medical review officers, third party administrators, and substance abuse professionals.
While most people understand the role that the employer and medical review officer plays in this database, some are unclear of the part that a substance abuse professional plays in the accessing of the Clearinghouse database.
Let’s take a closer look at the role of a substance abuse professional and how they can support the goal of making our roads and highways safer for all who travel.
What is a Substance Abuse Professional?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), a substance abuse professional (SAP) is a “person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.”
This person is neither an advocate for the employer nor the employee. Rather, their allegiance is to public safety on the roads. His/her recommendations protect the public’s safety in the event that the employee returns to the performance of safety-sensitive functions.
A DOT recognized Substance Abuse Professional must be one of the following:
- A licensed physician (Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy)
- A licensed or certified social worker
- A licensed or certified psychologist
- A licensed or certified employee assistance professional
- A state-licensed or certified marriage and family therapist
- An alcohol and drug abuse counselor (Must be certified by one of the following: the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Certification Commission (NAADAC), the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (ICRC), or the National Board of Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates/Master Addictions Counselor (NBCC).)
What Does a Substance Abuse Professional Do?
The main job of a SAP is to assess, in a face-to-face setting, what level of assistance an employee needs with a drug or alcohol problem. Once the clinical evaluation is complete, the substance abuse professional determines a course of treatment or education program, dependent upon the level of addiction or abuse.
The treatments and education programs vary widely. Treatment recommendations can include: in-patient treatment, partial in-patient treatment, out-patient treatment, education programs, and aftercare. Education recommendations can include, but are not limited to bona fide drug and alcohol education courses, self-help groups, and community lectures.
Not only does this person evaluate the substance problem, but can also teach coping mechanisms, educate family members, refer support groups and treatment programs, create long and short-term goals, and help prepare the person for re-entry into the working world.
Prior to the employee's return to safety-sensitive duties, the SAP will have a face-to-face follow-up evaluation with the employee to determine if the individual has demonstrated successful compliance with recommendations of the initial evaluation. This evaluation must be accomplished before an employer can consider the employee for return to safety-sensitive functions.