Editorial: New manpower for family planning services

In some isolated family planning services innovative uses of new professional manpower are being demonstrated. With specialized training, the paramedical personnel are performing full gynecological screening examinations under the supervision of physicians, serving as clinic administrators, and providing counseling and educative services. Currently not enough funds are being allocated to manpower development. In 1973 only 3% of federal funds for family planning services were earmarked for this endeavor. There also is an unwillingness of a large percentage of medical and health professionals to accept the potential roles of the new professionals as well as to come to grips with the concept of "consumer participation". This consumer involvement is necessary in developing a system that is responsive to the patient's needs. Training periods vary for the new professionals from a few weeks to 3 years to prepare Physicians' Assistants. In a 20 week course individuals have been trained to recognize and differentiate normal and abnormal breast and pelvic findings and to provide family planning and cancer screening services including full pelvic exams and insertion of the IUD. Over 100 new professionals who function as in-hospital family planning counselors and community education technicians in a New York City program were trained through the laboratory method approach. The key to the performance of the new professionals in the clinic is proper supervision and good communication between them and the traditionally trained professionals. Some of the dead-end restrictions which characterize so many of the new positions can be removed if efforts are made within each program to provide in-service training or released time for employees to attend seminars, workshops, of courses at suitable institutions to foster growth and mobility.