Prenatal Care Workshop

The Prenatal Care Workshop was developed to provide curriculum for educating students about prenatal care. A faculty guide is provided which outlines learning outcomes, list of materials needed, suggestions for the use of the three cases and for the use of pregnant patients.

The workshop begins with a PowerPoint on the history of prenatal care and reviews obstetrical vocabulary, the diagnosis of pregnancy, determination of estimated date of delivery and gestational age. Prenatal care by trimester is discussed as are common prenatal problems. The prenatal physical examination of fundal height and fetal position are included in both the PowerPoint and in a separate document.

Three cases are provided to simulate prenatal care issues that may not be seen during a clinical rotation such as miscarriage, premature rupture of membranes, pregnancy induced hypertension and uncertain dates. Together with the vocabulary worksheet, the cases may be assigned before, after or during the workshop. The cases may be graded, used for small or large group discussion, or done individually.

The Prenatal Care Workshop was originally developed in 2008 to provide PA students with a clinical and educational experience in prenatal care as required by Standard B3.03c of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC – PA). [14] Finding clinical sites for prenatal care has been challenging for many PA programs due to declining birth rates, regional consolidation of obstetrical care, decline in prenatal care in family medicine practices and preceptor preference based on student sex and/or gender, all which limit student opportunities for prenatal care. Since the presentation of the Prenatal Care Workshop at the 2009 Education Forum of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), the materials have been provided to PA programs on request. To provide open access to the workshop materials for all PA programs, the Association of Physician Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology (APAOG) has graciously agreed to host them, and all materials have been updated as of January 2023.