Who is the appropriate person in your program to lead this meeting with each trainee? (You as the Ryan Program director? Your residency program director? Another faculty member?) What is your rationale?
When do you envision as the optimal time(s) to have this discussion and for trainees to make their decision about partial participation (e.g. beginning of residency, rotation orientation, beginning of the PGY of the rotation, multiple time points)?
The success of this conversation(s) can influence how comfortable a resident is fully engaging in educational opportunities on the family planning rotation. In your context, what are some ideas about how you can create a “safe space” for this discussion? Think about your “physical” space (e.g. private, neutral location with regard to power dynamics, etc.) and the “psychological” space (e.g. avoid meeting post-call, acknowledge difference in perspective AND mutual respect, etc.).
Use this space below to clearly articulate the purpose(s) of this conversation, both for yourself and the trainee. Doing so will guide the conversation and allow you to communicate the purpose to your trainees.
Think through how the conversation will go. What open-ended questions can you ask to ascertain the following important information?
Presence of an objection or feelings of unease about participating in abortion care?
The source of their objection or unease (e.g. moral, religious, the “ick factor”, fear of psychosocial repercussions, etc.)?
The parameters of their objection (e.g. are certain indications/gestational age limits okay with them)?
What expectations do you need to communicate to the resident during this conversation? Can you be flexible in incorporating any changes in their level of participation over the course of their rotation?
Use this space to record your thoughts and feelings about residents who opt for partial participation. Acknowledging these feelings allows you to proactively manage them and prevent erosion of rapport with your learners.
Which resources do you want to provide the learner before the conversation takes place? Which do you want to have with you during the conversation? After? Examples include: