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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Tina Nguyen, BA¹, Joseph Ogburn, MD², Lawrence Leeman, MD, MPH³, and Eve Espey, MD MPH². (1) Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2211 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, 5052724051, eespey@salud.unm.edu, (2) Department of OB-GYN, University of New Mexico, 2211 Lomas Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (3) Family and Community Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2400 Tucker NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131

Introduction

Abortion education is limited in US medical schools and many third year clerkships offer no clinical experience in abortion care. The University of New Mexico (UNM) has included abortion education in the preclinical curriculum and in the clinical years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate student participation in and attitudes towards the abortion care educational components.

Methods

All students completing the OB-GYN rotation in the academic year 2004-2005 (n=82) were surveyed. Survey questions focused on students' attitudes about the appropriateness of abortion education in medical school curricula, reasons for participation or non-participation in the abortion care experiences, adequacy of abortion education, and ratings of the clinical experiences.

Results

Eighty-two students rotated through the OB-GYN clerkship in the 2004-2005 academic year. Clerkship records indicated that 48 students participated in an abortion care experience during the third year clerkship. Two-thirds participated in one or the other clinical experience. The majority of respondents indicated that abortion education was appropriate in the curriculum. Most indicated that non-clinical components of the curriculum should be mandatory and clinical experiences should be optional. Respondents who participated in a clinical abortion care experience rated it as very valuable compared to other clinical experiences.

Conclusions

Our study confirms the acceptability of including a variety of methods to educate students about abortion in the medical school curriculum. An optional clinical abortion care experience is highly rated by students and should be offered to all students as an integral component of women's health care education.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the integration of comprehensive abortion education into a medical school curriculum
• Understand students' positive and negative reactions to this education

Keywords: Abortion, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No