The Abortion Provider Toolkit
For advanced practice clinicians
The Toolkit seeks to support abortion care as a normal part of primary and reproductive health care.
It provides evidence for abortion care as a natural extension of the work of Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) including nurse practitioners (NPs), midwives, and physician associates (PAs), who care for patients at risk for or experiencing an unintended pregnancy.
The Toolkit is built on evidence regarding the safety of abortion; the need for more abortion providers; and the role of NPs, midwives, and PAs in providing abortion. The Toolkit also acknowledges the barriers APCs face in becoming abortion providers–lack of clinical training opportunities, professional and abortion politics, isolation of abortion care from professional credentialing or legal/regulatory mechanisms, and the wide variation in state practice and regulatory environments, particularly as it applies to a post-Roe reality. The Toolkit also seeks to highlight training programs, academic programs, and other resources for developing abortion care skills, including new content on advocacy, language, and legal resources.
Locations where advanced practice clinicians can provide different types of abortions
- Procedural and Medication
- Neither
- Medication Only
Who is the Toolkit For?
The Toolkit is intended to prepare clinicians, educators, administrators, collaborators, and advocates to play various roles in improving access to abortion care.
Clinicians
For clinicians in particular, it is a professional development resource. NPs, midwives, and PAs working in group or independent clinical practice as well as in primary care or reproductive health specialty areas can use the Toolkit to create an individual plan for advancing clinical practice in abortion care.
Other Professionals
Other professionals who work alongside Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs), including physicians, nurses, and clinic staff, can use this toolkit to further their understanding of and advocacy for APCs providing abortion care in their clinical and professional environments.
Administrators
Administrators responsible for human resources as well as clinical policies and procedures can help create supportive clinical environments and can be influential in addressing barriers.
Educators
Educators – both faculty and administrators within education and training programs whose mission includes preparing health care professionals – can ensure that comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care, is taught as an integral component of both women and gender-related health and/or primary care programs.
Advocates
Advocates are playing an increasingly critical role in influencing policy, working with clinicians and administrators to protect and expand access to patients’ reproductive health care.
Representatives
Representatives from professional associations and regulatory boards who recognize the value of professional determination of scope of practice and seek to further their understanding of abortion care in that context can ensure that the health and safety of patients are protected.
Learners
Learners can use the toolkit to familiarize themselves with the roles of APCs in abortion care and the barriers to providing said care throughout the United States. They can also use the information in the toolkit to connect with other engaged providers nationwide to support their educational mission and practice to their full scope.
What is the Abortion Provider Toolkit?
A professional guide...
The APC Abortion Provider Toolkit is modeled after the APC Toolkit (2009), and the AP Toolkit (2018), a collaboration of the Abortion Access Project (now Provide), Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health Care at UCSF, and the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and is now housed at Clinicians in Abortion Care (CIAC), which is part of NAF. It is a professional guide for NPs, midwives, and PAs in the United States (U.S.) who are either currently providing or would like to offer abortion care. The information provided is based on definitions of U.S. professional disciplines, organizations, and legislative/regulatory systems although some of the information, resources, and guidelines for professional advancement could be adapted to other health care systems. The Toolkit helps clinicians compile evidence to support the integration of abortion care as an essential part of patients’ health care services. It guides NPs, midwives, and PAs in the development of a professional portfolio that documents their education, knowledge, and training and the clinical and professional standards used to provide safe care, including both basic competencies and abortion care. It includes essential information and statistics about abortion care and access, professional standards and competencies, and the roles of state and national professional organizations and state licensing boards.
...for a post-Roe landscape
Following the Dobbs decision, abortion providers became acutely aware of the need to leverage existing resources to maximize patient access to exceptional abortion care. Centering the patient experience, expanding the legal scope of primary care providers to include early abortion care, and increasing educational access and training experience for seasoned providers and new learners alike are integral to establishing and maintaining a strong network of abortion providers nationally.