Women's Health Knowledge and Skills Among Transitional Year Internship-Trained Military Medical Officers Serving as Independent Health Care Providers

ABSTRACT Background: Women comprise 14.5% of active duty service members. Delivery of women's health services is a critical component to personal, medical, and mission readiness. Our objective was to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and practices pertaining to basic elements of women's/reproductive health issues among transitional internship-trained general medical officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey study of transitional internship-trained graduates from 2012 to 2015 who transitioned to an operational assignment as an independent provider after internship graduation. The study involved an anonymous 21-question survey evaluating aspects of knowledge and practice related to basic reproductive health care services (contraceptive provision, cervical cancer, and chlamydia screening). Results: Thirty-four of 62 (55%) eligible physicians completed the survey. The majority (85%) of respondents were male; 71% practiced at troop or unit-based clinic out...