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Chapter 9 - Abortion Training in the USA

Prevalence, Outcomes and Challenges

from Section II - Integration of Abortion into Graduate Medical Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2021

By
Jody Steinauer  and
Jema Turk
Edited by
Uta Landy ,
Philip D Darney  and
Jody Steinauer
Uta Landy
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
Philip D Darney
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
Jody Steinauer
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
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Summary

Abortion is common medical procedure and the shortage of providers has been widely reported. This chapter describes the history of abortion training in the United States, including the establishment of the Ryan Residency Training Program, and reiterates that to meet patients’ needs, all clinicians who care for women’s reproductive health must be trained in abortion skills – including counseling, preoperative assessment, ultrasound, medication abortion management, uterine evacuation techniques, pain management, and postoperative care.  This chapter describes the impacts of abortion training on learners’ clinical skills, attitudes toward patients and abortion provision, and on their professional practice. We describe the challenges in integrating abortion into resident curriculum, and how to find support and resources. We provide evidence of the many benefits of integrated training – including improving resident education and more comprehensive patient care, and argue that training in uterine evacuation skills is critical for all obstetrician-gynecologists.

Keywords

medical educationabortionresidency trainingpain managementultrasoundcontraceptioncounseling
Type
Chapter
Information
Advancing Women's Health Through Medical Education
A Systems Approach in Family Planning and Abortion
 , pp. 101 - 109
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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