Abortion volume reported by graduating residents in obstetrics and gynecology training programs

Recent legislative changes in the U.S. have increasingly restricted access to abortion care, creating challenges not only for patients but also for the clinical training of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residents. As abortion restrictions expand, concerns grow about the adequacy of procedural training for future OB/GYNs. Our objective is to evaluate national trends in procedural abortion training by examining the number of procedures reported by graduating U.S. OB/GYN residents over the past 15 years.

We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) case logs for academic years 2009-2010 through 2023-2024. The mean number of abortions performed per resident per year, along with the number of graduating residents and residency programs, were recorded. Linear regression is used to assess trends over time.

From 2009-2024, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of graduating residents (mean increase of 20.2/year) and residency programs (mean increase of 2.7/year) (p less than 0.001). In contrast, the mean number of abortions per graduating resident declined from 46.1 to 43.9, representing a 4.7% decrease % (p < 0.03).

While OB/GYN residency programs have expanded, abortion procedural experience per resident has declined. This highlights a potential gap in clinical training and raises concerns about the future competency of the OB/GYN workforce. Continued monitoring and the development of innovative training solutions are essential to ensure comprehensive reproductive healthcare education.

This study analyzes trends in the number of procedural abortions performed by graduating residents over the past 15 years, highlighting a significant decline despite the increasing number of accredited residency programs. The findings underscore the need for alternative educational strategies to ensure resident competency.