Release Date: 11/17/2022
Expiration Date: 11/17/2024
Originally presented at Virtual NASN2021.

Cost: $20.00/Free for NASN members!

Instructions to Complete This NCPD Program
To receive a Certificate of Completion and be awarded NCPD contact hours for this program, follow the steps below, and complete and view the full content of the program including the program evaluation. If an assessment is included in the content, you will need to have 75% of the answers correct in order to pass the assessment. You will also have unlimited retakes on the assessment.

NASN will conduct an outcome assessment of a sample of participants at a later date. Please be advised that, if you complete this program, you may be asked to participate in this outcome assessment.

Step 1: Enroll in the program through the e-commerce system. Select the Purchase button. You will be directed to the e-commerce system. The program should already be in your shopping cart (look for the shopping cart icon at the top of the e-commerce web page). Select the shopping cart and choose "check out." You will receive a confirmation email with a link back to this program after your transaction.

Step 2: Complete and view the full content of the program. Content items are indexed at the bottom of this screen. After you enroll, you will return to this screen. The first content item will be “unlocked” so that you can begin completing the course. Subsequent items will “unlock” as you complete previous items.

Step 3: Retrieve the certificate.  After completing all content items, you will earn a certificate. You can save or print it.  Certificates are also stored in your Learning Center Profile.

Program Overview
Shark Week. Surfing the Crimson Wave. Auntie Flo is visiting. Though euphemisms may appear innocuous, they are indicative of a larger issue in menstrual health around the globe. A study conducted by the International Women’s Health Coalition found that there are over 5,000 slang words used to refer to menstruation in 10 different languages. Because of these taboos, a significant lack of health education resources are available about the menstrual cycle and its related diseases and conditions. This lack of knowledge fuels myths and exacerbates related health conditions.

One of the most prevalent conditions impacted by the period taboo is endometriosis. It affects 1 in 10 girls around the world, yet has an average delay to diagnosis of 10 years in the U.S. Girls are often told, even in clinical settings, that their symptoms are part of being a woman, in their heads, or that they're overreacting or seeking attention. School nurses are key front-line healthcare providers in helping to break the taboo around periods and properly recognize symptoms of related diseases like endometriosis. This session gives nurses practical tools to encourage open communication about periods and how to recognize symptoms of related conditions so that no girl is held back by her period.

Learning Outcomes
As a result of participating in this educational program, learners will be able to: 

• Educate regarding menstrual stigma.
• Recognize how menstrual stigma negatively impacts common diseases and conditions.
• Educate about endometriosis in the school setting.
• Understand how to improve the education of endometriosis and menstrual stigma.
  

Intended Audience
This continuing education program is a practice, skill, and knowledge NCPD program developed to meet the educational needs of registered nurses who are interested in child, adolescent health, community/public health, and school nursing.

Faculty
Malcolm Mackenzie, MD, FACOG 
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology; Medical Education Director; Faculty of Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery; Adjunct Clinical Instructor-ObGyn; Adjunct Clinical Instructor-ObGyn 
Harvard Medical School; Department of ObGyn, Mount Auburn Hospital; Department of ObGyn, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston University School of Medicine; Northeastern University School of Allied Sciences

Shannon Cohn, JD 
Attorney and Documentary Filmmaker

Faculty and Nurse Planner(s) Disclosures
NASN must ensure that all educational program content is free of commercial interest, bias, influence, and that the integrity of the content is uncompromised. The intent of this disclosure is to provide learners with information on which they can make their own judgments.

The nurse planner(s), faculty, and reviewers disclose there are no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved with the ability to control the content of this program.

Accreditation Statement
The National Association of School Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Accredited status does not imply endorsement by NASN or ANCC of any commercial products discussed in this learning program.

Commercial Support or Grant Funding
This program did not receive commercial support or grant funding.