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Description

Background: The Family-Individual across the Lifespan (FIAL) program at Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing implemented significant curricular changes after a formative evaluation of teaching and learning strategies around sex and gender health education. We found a glaring lack of curricular activities geared towards the health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The curricular changes were implemented to specifically address pervasive health disparities and barriers to high-quality primary health care among LGBT people.

Objectives: 1) Identify barriers and afirm LGBT patients’ unique primary health care needs. 2) Promote Family NP competence in providing care to LGBT people across the lifespan. 3) Develop core competencies that form the basis of best practices for Family NPs caring for the LGBT community.

Methods: The Family NP Faculty designed three (3) Sex and Gender learning modules in the program’s clinical courses. These modules specifically address unique socio-cultural needs, sensitivities, and challenges related to sustained gender-inclusive and gender-afirming care. The first student cohort that completed the Sex and Gender Health Care curriculum completed an anonymous feedback survey.

Conclusions/Impacts: The Family NP program has taken an initial step in providing Sex and Gender Health Education (SGHE) across the curriculum after identifying a need to prioritize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-specific content. However, based on student feedback from this first step we are revising the modules and providing more opportunities for students to work directly with the community. We are reaching out to community partners to access members willing to share their stories about their health care experience to better inform guidelines and the development of best practices. Many of our students identify as gay, lesbian, and gendernonconforming and provided validation that the Family NP program needs to continue to develop robust Sex and Gender Health Care learning opportunities.

Publication Date

9-2020

Keywords

LGBT Health, disparities, education, nursing, family practice

Prioritizing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health content in a family nurse practitioner program

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