One of the ways family physicians can maintain their clinical certification is to successfully complete Self-Assessment Modules (SAM) on core primary care topics. SAMs cover lots of topics – but NOT contraception. In the April edition of the RHAP newsletter, we sent out a call to action asking family physicians to sign a petition supporting the adoption of a Family Planning SAM by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). The Reproductive Health Care Member Interest Group (MIG) of the American Academy of Family Physicians worked very hard to develop a comprehensive family planning SAM, and we are thrilled to report that 1,000 members of our family physician community demonstrated their support by signing the petition.

Unfortunately, the ABFM didn’t accept the family planning SAM proposal, claiming the focus on contraception was too narrow. In response, the authors of the original SAM have developed a Reproductive Health SAM that, in addition to family planning, would include topics such as STIs, menopause, ED, PCOS, infertility, and LGBTQ reproductive health issues, to name just a few. The group is currently awaiting ABFM’s response. In the meantime, the Reproductive Health MIG and members of the Reproductive Health Access Network are continuing advocacy work through other means, including proposing, writing, and presenting resolutions to both state and national chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians on the importance of reproductive health training. For more information on current actions, please visit our Clinician Advocacy page.

We strongly believe that family planning is a core competency of family medicine education, and as such, we will continue to be leaders in reproductive health advocacy efforts across the country to make this a reality.

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