Training and Curricular Resources
Curricular, Academic, Advocacy, and Clinical Training Resources in Abortion Care
Academic Resources, Fact Sheets, and Briefs
Options Counseling
Abortion Facts
Abortion Toolkit
Contraception Resources
- Bedsider is an online birth control support network for patients ages 18-29.
- Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Program from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
The Turnaway Study
- Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) conducted a prospective longitudinal study examining the effects of unwanted pregnancy on women’s lives. The main finding of the Turnaway Study is that receiving an abortion does not harm the health and wellbeing of women. ANSIRH’s also informed the design of a fact sheet about the harms of denying a woman a wanted abortion.
Later Abortion Initiative
Medication Abortion Academic Resources
- Ibis Reproductive Health has published three briefs on medication abortion, including recommendations for better protocol, strategies for improving service delivery, and education and training.
Open Source Clinical Training Resources
Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health (NSRH)
- NSRH offers a Training in Abortion Care Residency for nurses, which focuses on advocacy and the development of equipped and experienced provider cohorts.
Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare (TEACH)
- The TEACH Leadership Fellowship is a Bay Area based, part-time, year-long, fellowship that focuses on developing primary care leadership, advocacy skills, teaching and research capacity, as well as advanced clinical practice in early abortion and contraception. With currently limited opportunities beyond residency or graduate school, this fellowship seeks to develop the next generation of primary care leaders ready to transform the field of reproductive health.
- Early Abortion Education and Training Guidelines for primary care providers – evidence-based standards, competencies and curriculum guidelines for abortion training of primary care clinicians. *Links to the 5th edition of TEACH Abortion Training Curriculum*
- Early Abortion Training Workbook, an interactive curriculum designed to train new reproductive health providers to competence. *Note: links to 7th edition of TEACH Abortion Training Curriculum
- Continuing Reproductive Education for Advanced Efficacy (CREATE) Program using the TEACH curriculum
- TEACH Medication Abortion CME
- More TEACH Workshops and Simulations
Health Workforce Pilot Project (HWPP)
- Fact Sheets
- Training Resources – In 2013, California lawmakers passed legislation that expanded the pool of clinicians available to perform first-trimester abortions. This six-year study provided conclusive evidence that abortion is very safe, whether provided by a NP, CNM, PA or physician.
Innovating Education in Reproductive Health
- Innovating Education in Reproductive Health is a hub for evidence-based video curricula and teaching resources about abortion and family planning.
- Module Training Courses
- Clinical Resources
- RHECourse (for CE credit)
- Patient-Centered Options Counseling
Ipas University
- Ipas University courses center on safe abortion care, including post abortion care with contraception. For trainnig resources, see their Training Materials page.
Medical Students for Choice
- Medical Students for Choice provides an externship funding program, an abortion training institute and other resources for medical students.
Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP)
- Reproductive Health Access Project works to help primary care providers integrate abortion, contraception, and miscarriage management into their practice. They have many easy-to-use clinical tools and patient education materials.
World Health Organization (WHO)
- WHO offers a medical abortion training course that focuses quality of care principles and improving patient care experiences.
How to Use Abortion Pill
- How to Use Abortion Pill provides a 50-minute video training series in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Foundation regarding the use and provision of medication abortion.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
- ACOG’s Implementing Progress in Abortion Care and Training (IMPACT) offers clinical and patient information, as well as activities and initiatives regarding medication and procedural abortion provision. ACOG’s website also offers a variety of webinars and FAQ sheets on abortion provision.
Papaya Workshop
- The Papaya Workshop teaches manual vacuum aspiration, IUD placement, and other gynecologic skills using papayas as uterine models. On their website, you can find workshop videos and webinars about the history of manual vacuum aspiration.
ReproTLC
- ReproTLC’s clinical training program’s strategic direction is to train a diverse array of anti-racist health care professionals who are highly motivated to provide comprehensive reproductive health care in their future practice to under-served patient populations, but who lack access to the clinical training to do so.
Advanced Practitioner Training Programs
As of this year there are five new state training programs in development specifically for abortion care for APCs.
University of Maryland Baltimore
The UMB Maryland Abortion and Reproductive Clinical Health (MARCH) program is an abortion training program funded by the Maryland Department of Health. The program aims to expand the number and diversity of physicians and APCs practicing in Maryland with abortion training. The Program launched in June 2024; the first cohort of eleven (11) Reproductive Health Fellows engaged in asynchronous didactic education and in-person simulation, including ultrasound training, standardized patient experiences for medication abortion competency, and a papaya workshop for procedural abortion exposure. Applications are open for future cohorts.h. You can visit the website or contact the Program Director, Jaylynn Johnstone at [email protected].
Rutgers University
The NJ Reproductive Training and Education Initiative (RTEI) is funded by the state of New Jersey to improve access to abortion in New Jersey primarily by expanding procedural abortion education and training of advanced practice clinicians, including advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, certified nurse-midwives, and certified midwives, among other approaches. In the coming months, we will be accepting proposals to develop a new or expanded clinical site for abortion training in New Jersey. In addition, we will be accepting applications from practicing clinicians as well as advanced practice students for a clinical training experience in medication and aspiration abortion, with priority given to those who will be poised to fill a gap in abortion access in New Jersey after training is completed. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
California Reproductive Health Services Corps
The RHSC consortium develops and implements evidence-based abortion care training programs and strategies with a reproductive justice lens for the entire team of health care professionals. Each partner has a unique and customized patient-centered care approach to integrating abortion curricula with local partners and institutions for different types of learners and existing providers. For more information about training programs for PAs, CNMs, and NPs, please see this page.
University of Washington
The University of Washington’s Graduate Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health (GCSRH) is available for currently practicing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who provide clinical management to reproductive-aged individuals and students enrolled in a Nurse Practitioner or Certified Nurse Midwife degree program who are seeking comprehensive training in advanced sexual and reproductive health and abortion care. GCSRH’s curriculum was developed to provide currently practicing nurses across various fields with an opportunity to critically review historical social and medical reproductive practices while learning the practical skills and knowledge needed to be able to provide medication and procedural abortions to those seeking care. To learn more about the program, please visit the GCSRH website. Details about the application process can be found here.
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois College of Nursing has established the Reproductive Advocacy and Diversity in Advanced Nursing Training (RADIANT) Fellowship, aiming to cultivate a professional network of clinical mentors to train and support new abortion providers as they integrate trauma-informed and gender-affirming abortion care into their professional practices. Eligible applicants (APCs with active practices in Illinois and a strategy for incorporating abortion care into their primary or secondary employment) will be accepted to the program through an application process that prioritizes the applicant’s commitment to serving as an abortion provider in underserved communities (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQI+, immigrant, rural).
Patient Resources
Summary
Educators have a good track record in developing reproductive health curriculum and core competencies for women’s health practice. Their challenge is to situate the abortion care curriculum and competencies within the broader public health model of unintended pregnancy prevention and management–aligning the two areas. A focus on secondary prevention of unintended pregnancies is vital.
Although admission to post-graduate procedural abortion care training is competitive, five state and/or academic competency-based training opportunities have emerged in 2024 and we, as a community, are committed to developing more.
This list is always expanding. Are you aware of other programs? Let us know at [email protected].