Out-of-State Abortion Training Rotations for Residents in States With Limited Access

Abstract

State laws that restrict abortion also impede abortion training, which is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for obstetrics and gynecology programs. After the enactment of Texas Senate Bill 8 in September 2021 and 1 year after Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Ryan Program facilitated partnerships between 13 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in restrictive states and 13 programs in protective states for resident training. We describe the experiences of residents who traveled within these partnerships through postrotation surveys about training experiences, practice intentions, and alignment with the learning objectives. From April 2022 to August 2023, 60 residents traveled and 35 completed surveys (58.3%). Residents reported that the rotation met learning objectives, including extensive exposure to all abortion methods, and most intend to provide abortions in practice.