Bringing Gender-Affirming Care to Primary Care: Use of a Multimodal Curriculum to Educate Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Practitioner Students.

Abstract

An increasing number of individuals who identify as transgender and gender diverse require informed and compassionate health care, yet there is a dearth of research about which educational strategies are best used to provide nurses and nurse practitioners the foundation upon which to provide appropriate health care. This study evaluated a multimodal approach that included guided readings, a transgender patient panel, standardized patient simulation, and group discussion. The Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale was administered pre- and postintervention. Results demonstrated increases in knowledge, skills, and attitudes among the 16 participants. A high level of satisfaction was expressed for the overall program, but especially for the patient panel and standardized patient encounter. Nurse educators are encouraged to include information about health care of the transgender patient into curricula.