UMass Chan expanding abortion care curriculum, as applications rise
Photo | Timothy Doyle
UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester
UMass Chan Medical School is expanding its abortion care and OB-GYN curriculum, as well as community partnerships and programs to educate students across the full spectrum of reproductive care.
Lectures on abortion have been added for the first time to the curriculum for first- and second-year medical students, according to a Friday announcement from UMass Chan. Lessons center on the epidemiology of unintended pregnancy and abortion, counseling options, an overview of medical and surgical abortions, and the current legal environment for abortion care.
Fourth-year students, who rotate through clinical settings, have expanded opportunities to work with and take elective courses from OB-GYN physicians who provide abortion services. The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing has added additional education resources for its students.
The obstetrics and gynecology residency program at the medical school received an increase in applications following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning constitutionally-protected abortion, according to UMass Chan.
The school is additionally partnering with educational institutions based in states that are increasingly rolling back the right to abortions and increasing physician liability for providing certain kinds of reproductive care.
“As a next step, we need to build ownership of this issue by all graduates and providers, regardless of their chosen specialty, as all clinicians must help patients navigate the impacts of unintended pregnancy on other aspects of health, illness, and treatment,” Dr. Melissa Fischer, professor of medicine and assistant vice provost for interprofessional and instructional innovation at UMass Chan, said in the announcement.
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