Sexual and Reproductive Health in Nursing Education

Abstract

There has never been a time in recent history when women’s health care has been more prominent in the national conversation. The increase in the national maternal mortality rate, mandated insurance coverage for preventive health services for women, the availability of contraception, and access to abortion have become regular topics in the news media. The role of nurses in these conversations is not often addressed, although many nursing organizations have responded in recognition of the importance of the inclusion of nurses’ voices in discussions about policy that directly affects their patients ( Saria et al., 2014 Saria M.G. Stone A. Walton A.L. Brown G. Norton V. Barton-Burke M. Voices of oncology nursing society members matter in advocacy and decisions related to U.S. health policy. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2014; 18: 719-721https://doi.org/10.1188/14.CJON.719-721 Crossref PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar ). However, practicing nurses may not recognize that these issues directly affect the people for whom they provide care, and they may not completely appreciate the complexity of ensuring that all the dimensions of their patients' needs are met. Amy J. Levi, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, FACNM, FAAN, is the Leah L. Albers Endowed Professor of Midwifery and Director of Interprofessional Education at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM. Pathways to Competence in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Advanced Practice NursesJournal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal NursingVol. 46Issue 5PreviewSexual and reproductive health (SRH) care is often overlooked in advanced practice nursing educational programs, but advanced practice registered nurses are expected to provide care in this sensitive area. Competencies for SRH care were developed by the World Health Organization, and individual countries including the United States have adapted them to their unique health systems and populations. In this article, we discuss extant and future pathways for advanced practice registered nurses to develop competence in SRH care. Full-Text PDF Systematic Review of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Content in Nursing CurriculaJournal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal NursingVol. 46Issue 5PreviewTo examine whether and to what extent pre-licensure nursing programs include sexual and reproductive health (SRH) content in their curricula. Full-Text PDF Expanding Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Through Nursing EducationJournal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal NursingVol. 46Issue 5PreviewThoughtful, unbiased, evidence-based content in nursing education is crucial for the development of confident and competent nurses who provide care in every setting. The purpose of this article is twofold: to provide evidence to show that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care by nurses is informed by educational exposure to content and to provide recommendations for change at the individual, institutional, and structural levels to improve and expand sexual and reproductive health services. Full-Text PDF