USF College of Nursing to Host Transgender Health Care Conference

Meeting the unique health care needs of the diverse transgender community takes center stage next month during a conference focusing on transgender patient care.

To address the needs of this community, the USF College of Nursing is hosting the “Transgender Health Care for Advanced Practice Nurses” summit.  The event takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the College of Nursing at 12912 USF Health Drive, Tampa.

The one-day seminar features presentations by expert clinicians and an in-depth panel discussion on the challenges transgender patients face in the health care system.

“The focus of this conference is on dissemination of information and education for providers in primary care and other settings to assist them in meeting the unique care needs of the transgender patient population,” said Dr. Melanie Michael, DNP, MS, FNP-C, CPHQ, CNAP, Vice Dean of Academic Programs at the College of Nursing.

“In order to maximize the overall health and well-being of transgender patients, health care providers need information on current and emerging standards of care and the most up to date and accurate available scientific information. The goal of conference organizers is to help meet these needs,” she said.

A morning panel discussion titled “What makes an inclusive and welcoming health care environment: Individual Experiences,” features speakers giving first-hand accounts of their experiences in the health care system.

Conference organizers also plan expert discussions on a transgender patient’s social and behavioral health needs, their primary and preventative health care needs, and on hormonal therapy management.

Joey Knoll, ARNP, will lead the talk on hormonal therapy treatment and hopes the conference will break some barriers.

“The goal of the conference is to increase the knowledge and awareness that advanced practice nurses have for transgender patients,” Knoll said. “There’s a lot of guidelines and standards of care for transgender patients, but there’s not a lot of spreading of that knowledge.”

Knoll, who works at an Orlando clinic that serves the LGBTQ community, said he receives many patient referrals from colleagues who don’t feel comfortable and knowledgeable enough to prescribe and monitor hormonal therapy for transgender patients who are seeking to convert to the gender identity different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

The summit is geared toward advanced practice nurses and health care providers and will end with an opportunity for participants to network and share information.

To register for the conference, click here. While the seminar is free, registrants will have to pay a $5 facility parking fee. Organizers anticipate about 200 participants.

The conference is sponsored by the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses, Metro Wellness, Bay Pines Veterans Health Center, Twin Spirit Health Care, and the Central Florida Advanced Nursing Practice Council.

Story by Elizabeth Brown, USF College of Nursing