Abstract
Background: According to the Williams Institute, approximately 1.4 million adults within the United States identify as transgender. A recent national report stated that 33% of transgender patients delayed or did not try to get preventive health care, and of those who accessed care, the majority left feeling undertreated. In addition, many individuals reported a lack of medical knowledge from their provider in regards to basic transgender needs, and as many as 50% found themselves educating their provider about transgender care. Currently, no curriculum regulations require professional health schools to provide transgender education.|Purpose: The purpose of this project was to measure nurse practitioner student curriculum perception and to increase knowledge and awareness of transgender healthcare needs.|Sample/Setting: A convenience sample of 28 Master and Doctoral trained Nurse Practitioner students, practicing in primary care, was utilized for this study. Participants included students from Creighton, Gonzaga, and a number of non-Jesuit institutions. The location took place from any location that the participants had access to their computers.|Methods: The study measured students’ perceptions of their transgender curriculum as well as attitude and level of knowledge. Data was collected via an online pre-survey, educational webinar, and post-survey format.|Results: Following the completion of the study, participants reported feeling more comfortable with caring for transgender patients, scored an average of two points higher at the population-specific knowledge post-test (p<. 001), and the majority would suggest the implementation of similar educational interventions into their respected curriculums.|Conclusion: All patients, despite their gender identity, deserve high quality healthcare from a practitioner who has been adequately prepared to meet the needs of transgender patients. These study findings suggest that even limited amounts of diversity training can be beneficial to a practitioner program.