Abortion education in nurse practitioner, physician assistant and certified nurse-midwifery programs: a national survey.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to examine the inclusion and extent of abortion education in accredited nurse practitioner (NP), physician assistant (PA) and certified nurse-midwifery (CNM) programs in the United States.


METHODS
In January 2000, a confidential survey requesting information about the curricular inclusion of eight reproductive health topics was mailed to program directors at all 486 accredited NP, PA and CNM programs in the United States.


RESULTS
Two hundred two surveys were returned, with a response rate of 42%. Overall, 53% of programs reported didactic instruction on surgical abortion, manual vacuum aspiration or medication abortion and 21% reported including at least one of these three procedures in their routine clinical curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
Abortion education is deficient in NP, PA and CNM programs in the United States. As integral components of women's health care, abortion, pregnancy options counseling and family planning merit incorporation into routine didactic and clinical education.
Ibis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. afoster@ibisreproductivehealth.org
Angel M
AM
Foster
Chelsea
C
Polis
Mary Kate
MK
Allee
Katherine
K
Simmonds
Melanie
M
Zurek
Ann
A
Brown
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000193:education*; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000193:education*; D011247:Pregnancy