Original research articleAbortion education in the medical curriculum: a survey of student attitudes
Introduction
How do medical students feel about the inclusion of abortion education in the medical curriculum? This question may be posed by medical student educators and curriculum designers. Many medical schools in the United States currently have chapters of Medical Students for Choice whose student members take an active role in advocating for inclusion of abortion education in the medical school curriculum. Medical educators may be concerned that the general student population could find the topic of abortion inappropriate or unacceptable for the curriculum.
As one of the most common procedures that women undergo in the United States [1], abortion is recognized by professional organizations as an important topic for inclusion in student curricula. Abortion is listed as a core educational objective by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the organization that sets national standards for medical student education [2]. The three objectives related to abortion have Priority 1 status which requires that medical students must know them. These objectives are as follows: (1) to explain surgical and nonsurgical methods of pregnancy termination, (2) to identify potential complications of induced abortion and (3) to provide nondirective counseling to patients surrounding pregnancy options [2]. Similarly, the Association of Graduate Medical Education requires that all Obstetrics & Gynecology residency programs offer abortion training to residents [3]. The Residency Review Committee in Family Medicine requires all residents to be trained to competency in options counseling for unintended pregnancy [4].
Since 1999, the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine has included abortion education in the preclinical and clinical curricula. The preclinical curriculum includes lectures on the public health impact of abortion and on techniques and complications of medical and surgical abortion. Tutorial cases in UNM's small-group, problem-based curriculum include a teenager with an unintended pregnancy and a case discussion including options counseling, approaches to pregnancy termination and ethical issues around abortion. Since 1999, the clinical curriculum has included a half-day optional experience in abortion care at a local Planned Parenthood Clinic during the third-year clerkship. In 2004, we introduced a 2-week optional reproductive health experience as part of the core OB-GYN student clerkship that provides a more comprehensive experience in family planning and abortion care.
Recent reports document the educational value, acceptability and popularity of clinical experiences in abortion care for medical students and Obstetric-Gynecology and Family Medicine residents [5], [6], [7]. However, a large proportion of medical schools do not incorporate abortion education into their curricula [8], and students and residents have the opportunity to opt-out of clinical abortion training. In the preclinical years, when abortion education is integrated with the use of a variety of methods like lectures, tutorial cases and essay questions, students do not have the same opportunity to opt-out. The purpose of this study was to evaluate student attitudes toward the inclusion of abortion education in the preclinical curriculum. In addition, we sought to confirm the acceptability of abortion care experiences in the clinical curriculum including an expanded experience during the third-year clerkship.
Section snippets
Methods
All medical students completing the OB-GYN third-year clinical rotation from May, 2004, through January, 2005 (n=118) were asked to complete a 21-item survey. Survey questions focused on students' attitudes about the appropriateness of abortion education in medical school curricula, reasons for participation or nonparticipation in the abortion care experiences in the clinical curricula and the value of abortion education. Students were asked to compare the value of clinical abortion care
Results
One hundred eighteen students rotated through the OB-GYN clerkship during the study period. All had completed the preclinical curriculum at UNM. A total of 100 students completed the survey for a response rate of 85%. The mean age of respondents was 28.9 (range, 24–44). Thirty-four percent were men and 66% were women. Fifty-seven percent of students self-identified as non-Hispanic white, 32% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 1% Native American and 4% did not self-report ethnicity. All demographic
Discussion
We found that abortion education is acceptable to and valued by the majority of medical students at UNM both in the preclinical and clinical curriculum. This study indicates that the majority of medical students, whether or not they participate in a clinical abortion experience, validate abortion education in the preclinical years as an appropriate topic. The majority of students believe that students should not be allowed to “opt-out” of preclinical abortion education.
Despite the high
Acknowledgment
The study was supported by a small grant from the Department of OB_GYN at the University of New Mexico.
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2023, Women's Health Issues“They were there because they were pregnant. Which is a really apolitical thing”—Medical student discussions of politics in abortion care in the United States
2023, ContraceptionCitation Excerpt :The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics lists abortion education as a core topic in United States (US) medical education, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend inclusion of abortion education in all US medical schools [1,2]. Students appreciate participating in a clinical abortion experience and feel more comfortable discussing and referring for abortion following their participation [3,4]. Medical school may provide the only opportunity for many future physicians to gain medically accurate exposure to abortion care [5].
Induced Abortion
2013, Women and HealthSexuality Education in North American Medical Schools: Current Status and Future Directions (CME)
2013, Journal of Sexual MedicineCitation Excerpt :Students who do participate in optional clinical rotations with abortion service providers generally find the experience valuable [57]. Although coverage for the topic of abortion is variable, a survey of 100 third-year students completing their obstetrics/gynecology clerkship indicated that the vast majority (96%) thought abortion was an important topic for coverage in medical school [57]. Medical school electives on abortion topics for preclinical students have been advanced at some schools [39].
Induced Abortion
2012, Women and Health, Second EditionPerceptions of family planning and abortion education at a faith-based medical school
2011, ContraceptionCitation Excerpt :Clinical opportunities at off-site family planning clinics are not sponsored by SSOM. Although studies of medical students have indicated that they are satisfied with their abortion education, there are no studies specific to faith-based medical schools [10–12]. The present study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with family planning education of medical students at one faith-based medical school.