Who We Are
MAPβs Individual Clinical Training program offers individualized clinical rotations in comprehensive reproductive health care. Learn more about the program and the application process.
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 2006, MAP addresses service gaps and unmet reproductive health needs in the Midwest, including abortion care, contraception, sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment, and pregnancy options counseling. Since welcoming ourΒ first trainee in June 2007, MAP has trained over 220 individuals, and in 2017 weΒ celebrate 10 years of fostering the growth of a new generation of reproductive healthΒ providers.
MAP fills a unique need by offering training in comprehensive reproductive health careβincluding abortionβto health care professionals and trainees, including physicians, nurses, advance practice clinicians, residents, and students, who may not have access to full scope reproductive health training through their schools or jobs. Through our programs, MAP provides concrete skills to highly motivated clinicians who otherwise would lack the necessary training to meet the needs of their patients.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
The Midwest Access Project (MAP) envisions a society in which every person has access to patient-centered, quality reproductive health care within their community.Β Our mission is to improve access to reproductive health care by training providers in comprehensive sexual and reproductive health including contraception, pregnancy options counseling, miscarriage, and abortion. As a Midwestern hub for training and advocacy, MAP fills gaps in medical education and clinical training, and reduces barriers to care
Why MAP Matters
LIMITED ACCESS
94% of all Midwest counties have no identifiable abortion provider.
Nationwide, the shortage of providers is one of the greatest barriers women face in accessing abortion and other reproductive health services. In 2008, approximately 87% of counties in the U.S. did not have an abortion providerΒ (Jones & Kooistra, 2011).In the Midwest, a startling 94% of all countiesβhome to 52% of U.S. women of reproductive ageβdid not have provider access.
INSUFFICIENT TRAINING
Fewer than 50 of the 130 accredited U.S. medical schools offer abortion training.
Unfortunately, many medical schools, nursing schools and other formal training programs throughout the country do not provide adequate education in reproductive health. Opportunities for medical providers to receive training in abortion and other reproductive health services are often limited to residents in obstetrician-gynecologist programs and often require the hospital to apply for special funding. This can leave nurses, advance practice clinicians, and primary care physiciansβwho often serve as sole healthcare providers in underserved communitiesβwithout adequate reproductive healthcare training.
OUR RESEARCH
90% of family medicine residents surveyed expressed interest in miscarriage management, while only 55% reported their program offered such training.
Students and practitioners in the field recognize the need for comprehensive reproductive healthcare training. A 2007 survey conducted by MAP of the 27 family medicine residency programs in Illinois revealed that a majority of the residents surveyed desire training in skills such as pregnancy options counseling and miscarriage management, but their programs did not offer such training. Likewise, training opportunities for practicing clinicians are lacking in the Midwest, often requiring them to travel long distances to gain the skills they need.