Description/Overview: Healthy People 2010 names specific goals related to unintended pregnancy prevention and management. These are expected to result in significantly improved access to the full array of reproductive health services for all US women with improved unintended pregnancy prevention, and competent secondary prevention management by primary care providers. Despite the high frequency of unintended pregnancy and abortion, few primary care providers and health professional educators receive adequate preparation to care for these women, to teach effective means of secondary prevention, or to influence policy beyond the patient-provider encounter. Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to identify barriers to meeting national health goals regarding unintended pregnancy prevention, and to outline strategies necessary to provide safe, effective, and coordinated care for unintended pregnancy prevention and management. The historical role of nurses in promoting and protecting women’s reproductive health, and their role as clinicians, policy-makers and educators in advancing access to reproductive health will be highlighted. Methods/Results: The first presentation will articulate strategies for addressing the national health goals regarding unintended pregnancy include making unintended pregnancy prevention a standard component of professional and nursing education. The second presentation will specify core competencies for unintended pregnancy prevention and management using a primary care model of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The third presentation will address the political, professional and policy challenges prevent nurses, especially APNs, from practicing to the full extent of their education and assuming advanced leadership positions. To illustrate such barriers, a case study and in-depth analysis of the clinical, regulatory, legal, and political issues related to the provision of abortion care is presented. Conclusion: The nursing profession has a long history of advocacy, activism and commitment to social justice in solving health problems. With strong, collective action, the nursing leaders can meet the challenges in reducing the unintended pregnancy rate.

Learner Objective #1: 1. The learner will be able to identify the public health impact of unintended pregnancy in the U.S.

Learner Objective #2: 2. The learner will be able to articulate the role of nursing in reducing the unintended pregnancy rate at the individual, state and national level.