Effects of rotating at a Catholic hospital on medical student contraceptive objective structured clinical exam scores

Family planning competency following medical school Ob/Gyn clerkships at faith-based and secular sites

Contraception and abortion topics are variably, but often poorly, addressed in medical school curricula. Restrictions on contraceptive and abortion care at faith-based hospitals may hinder comprehensive family planning training for medical students during Ob/Gyn clerkships. Here we investigated whether medical students at faith-based and non-faith-based clerkships experienced different observations during their Ob/Gyn clerkship and/or differences in self-perceived competency in patient counseling, objective knowledge, and perceived adequacy of training in contraception and abortion topics post-clerkship. A survey was distributed to third- and fourth-year medical students at New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Across all clerkship sites (n = 102 students), observations of, and competency in, contraceptive care was higher than in abortion care. Students at non-faith-based clerkship sites (n = 54) reported the highest levels of observation of contraceptive and abortion care (19.6-90.7%), while those at Catholic sites (n = 26) typically reported the lowest (7.7-34.6%). Students at non-faith-based sites reported significantly higher competency in contraceptive care and some aspects of abortion care, than those at Catholic, and some other faith-based sites (n = 48). Clerkship training at faith-based sites, specifically Catholic sites, resulted in poorer Ob/Gyn training, particularly in contraceptive care. Training outcomes in abortion care were poor at all Ob/Gyn clerkship sites.

Sexual and reproductive health teaching in undergraduate medical education: A narrative review

OBJECTIVE

Contraception use, undesired pregnancy, and abortion care are common medical experiences that most physicians will encounter for their patients. Future physicians should therefore have some formal education on these topics. In this narrative review, we focused on how medical education approaches these sometimes polarizing yet fundamental topics.

METHODS

We assessed the published literature on sexual and reproductive health education in undergraduate medical education from 2000 to 2021, screening 868 articles and including 52 articles. We included articles that discussed contraception, emergency contraception, pregnancy options counseling, abortion, and ethics related to sexual and reproductive health.

RESULTS

Included studies came from 14 countries and described both preclinical and clinical education. Studies assessed medical student knowledge, the effectiveness of educational interventions and medical school faculty perspectives on sexual and reproductive health curricula. Medical educators have employed a variety of approaches to teach sexual and reproductive health including simulation, objective structured clinical examinations, team-based learning, narrative medicine, online modules, and flipped classrooms.

CONCLUSION

Students generally received sexual and reproductive health education favorably, demonstrating increased knowledge and comfort with these topics after an education session. Studies also identified curricular gaps and deficiencies in student knowledge, which may indicate a need for improved and consistent medical school education on contraception and abortion.