Exploring How Residents Who Partially Participate in Family Planning Training Determine Their Level of Participation

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that obstetrics and gynecology residency programs provide access to abortion training, though residents may elect to opt out of participating due to religious or moral objections. While clinical benefits of partial participation have previously been explored, our study aimed to explore how residents navigate partial participation in abortion training and determine their limits.

This study was qualitative in nature. Between June 2010 and June 2011, we conducted 26 semi-structured phone interviews with residents who opted out of some or all of the family planning rotation at 19 programs affiliated with The Ryan Residency Training Program. Faculty directors identified eligible residents, or residents self-reported in routine program evaluation. We analyzed data using the conventional content analysis method.

We interviewed all 26 (46%) of 56 eligible residents willing to be interviewed. Three main categories constituted the general concepts concerning resident decision-making in training participation: (1) variation in timing of when residents determined the extent of participation, (2) a diversity of influences on the residents' level of participation, and (3) the perception of support or pressure related to their participation decision.

The findings indicated that residents who partially participate in abortion training at programs with specialized opt-out family planning training weigh many factors when deciding under what circumstances, if any, they will provide abortions and participate in training.