Challenges in APRN education: Strategies for teaching sexual and reproductive health content

According to a review of the Healthy People 2010 goals (USDHHS), there are a number of unmet benchmarks related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). For example, there has been a failure to meet the goal of reducing the unintended pregnancy rate in the U.S. from 50% to 30% (Finer & Henshaw, 2006). This goal remains as an objective for 2020, along with increasing the provision of SRH services to sexually active women and men, reducing the proportion of adolescents and young adults with genital Chlamydia infections, and reducing rates of other sexually transmitted infections.  Similarly, in California primary care NPs reported that 75% of their patients are at risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs (Hwang et al, 2006). The establishment of SRH competencies and the incorporation of SRH guidelines in health professional education curricular offerings are necessary to meet these new goals. With development of SRH competencies underway, methods for incorporating guidelines and care models into APRN education is the focus of this Armchair Discussion.

Commonly cited barriers to comprehensive clinical and academic coverage of reproductive health issues include: the perception that the issue is not a curricular priority; a lack of qualified faculty and clinical facilities to teach about reproductive options; religious restrictions prohibiting instruction; fear of anti-choice backlash; and the lack of appropriate didactic materials (Foster et al., 2006, Foster et.al, 2008). 

In this Armchair Discussion, panelists will present examples of educational strategies for teaching SRH content, including simulated clinical experiences, discussions of professional ethics, facilitated self-reflection and exercises to promote increased empathy and cultural awareness.  Audience members are invited to contribute to a critique of the examples highlighted, and to provide examples of their own experiences. Although the focus of this session is on the barriers to teaching of SRH issues specifically, the discussion will foster a deeper level of understanding among participants that are relevant to teaching any sensitive, social health issue.