08 • Careers


What are the opportunities for working as a GP with a special interest in sexual and reproductive health?


LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX… T


HE UK has often been cited as having the worst sexual health in Europe. And while recent statistics have shown improvements are being made, there remains a need for GPs with a special interest


(GPwSI) in this field. Official figures paint a mixed picture. A


report by the Office for National Statistics in 2013 showed the estimated number of pregnancies amongst under-18s is at its lowest level since records began in 1969. In contrast, the number of pregnancies in women of all ages is at its second highest level. Meanwhile, last February the Health


Protection Agency raised concerns that fewer gay/bisexual men in the UK are using condoms, fuelling a rise in HIV infections in those groups.


Entry and training Training can be acquired in several ways for


GPwSIs in sexual and reproductive health and would include both practical and theoretical elements. Common elements include working under the supervision of a specialist or consultant in sexual health/genito-urinary medicine; self-directed learning; a recognised university course or accredited training. An attachment in a community contraceptive clinic/GUM clinic is also beneficial to enable the practical development of skills in STI management, common contraceptive problems, intra-uterine devices/intra-uterine systems (IUD/IUS) and contraceptive implant fittings under appropriate supervision to acquire sufficient expertise and help with network development. The RCGP sets out a number of


competences for GPwSIs in sexual health (http://tinyurl.com/krjbkxb) although practitioners are not expected to have all those listed. These include:


• Screening and health promotion • Taking a sexual history • Genital examination • Advice about safer sex • Contraception • HIV • Sexual assault and female genital mutilation • Managing children and young people within the sexual health service


• Partner notification • Referral pathways • Epidemiology.


As a minimum, it is recommended that the


GPwSI takes the Sexually Transmitted Infection Foundation (STIF) course (or equivalent) and completes the associated logbook of competences and/or holds the DFSRH – the Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, with the appropriate letters of competency in sub-dermal implants and intra-uterine techniques.


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