The UAB School of Nursing will host a workshop to arm primary care providers with the necessary skills to perform women’s health procedures.The UAB School of Nursing will host a mini-conference for office gynecology procedure training for primary care providers Saturday, Aug. 27, at the School of Nursing Learning Resource Center.
The conference will arm primary care providers with the skills necessary to perform women’s health procedures. School of Nursing Assistant Professor Aimee Chism Holland says that, by training primary care providers how to perform women’s health procedures, there can be an increase in access to care for women. Primary care nurse practitioners are not routinely taught these women’s health procedures in school.
Holland says it takes approximately 14 days for an existing patient to obtain an appointment with a primary care provider, while the average wait time to see a new primary care provider is 19.5 days. Many of these providers serve as a gatekeeper for patients to see a specialist like a gynecologist or gynecology-oncologist. It takes approximately 17.3 days for a patient to see a specialist such as a gynecologist.
Early detection helps increase overall prognosis. By equipping primary care providers with the skills to perform women’s health procedures, Holland says women across the country will have access to care sooner rather than later.
The conference will last from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Learning Resource Center is located behind the School of Nursing. Space is limited to 52 students. The cost to attend is $300, and those interested can register online.