Providing quality care to patients is never a one-size-fits-all approach, and a lifetime of learning is necessary to keep up with all there is to discover about their health and care. This is especially true when it comes to diverse and stigmatized communities where trustworthy resources may be more difficult to come by.
Are you searching for resources that can help you provide better care to LGBTQIA+ patients? From technical competencies to cultural competencies, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of resources for LGBT training for healthcare providers.
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
Healthcare providers can access a treasure trove of resources at the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center. Their site features a library of webinars and publications designed to optimize the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare for all sexual and gender minorities. Some of their learning materials even allow you to earn CME credit.
Better yet, you can train your entire staff by hiring a speaker to talk with your organization about providing healthcare to LGBTQIA+ individuals.
GLMA
Another credible website for healthcare professionals is GLMA and its extensive list of resources. Here, you’ll find webinars and training around caring for the LGBTQIA+ community. Many healthcare professionals will also attend the annual conference, covering the latest research from health experts in the United States.
For providers seeking practice with an SP of lived experience, here are two scenarios authored by GLMA:
- Asexual patient with Major Depressive Disorder and Relationship Concerns
- Consulting transgender patient on Long-Acting Injectable PrEP
Perhaps their best-known resource is the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory. This is a completely free and searchable database of healthcare providers who understand the issues facing patients in the United States and Canada.
OutCare Health
OutCare Health is an affordable place to turn for healthcare providers who want CEU credits. From a basic foundation in LGBTQIA+ issues to a foundational course with a national curriculum, you have access to their robust learning modules for just a few dollars. Better yet, students and residents have free access to these resources.
OutCare Health has partnered with Simclusive to increase affirming care by connecting Standardized Patients (SPs) of diverse lived experiences to learners nationwide via online simulated video visits. With a growing library of scenarios focused on intersectional LGBTQ+ topics developed by experienced providers, Simclusive offers authentic 1-to-1 psychologically safe practice from virtually anywhere.
OutCare Health has a provider list of affirming healthcare providers. The OutList® is an international provider directory that helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit folks find LGBTQ+-affirming providers. The OutList is open to all healthcare providers of any identity and specialty. OutCare thoroughly vets all providers who join the directory.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
For providers who work with patients struggling with substance use or mental health, SAMHSA is a great resource to rely on. They have several guides for practitioners who deal with the intersection of some of these issues, serving as a comprehensive manual for offering support to LGBTQIA+ patients.
One highlight of the SAMHSA website is their Center of Excellence LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity Center. Under this umbrella, they conduct monthly webinars, self-paced online training modules, monthly office hours with national experts, searchable databases, and more.
To implement these skills, we suggest pairing it with this SP scenario with a Nonbinary Patient Seeking Substance Treatment.
SAGE Advocacy Services for LGBTQ+ Elders
Elderly and aging patients face unique health challenges, and SAGE focuses on the intersectionality between LGBTQIA+ individuals and age. They focus on services and advocacy for older adults, families, and caregivers by curating a library of guides and research, education, and even technical help for aging network providers on best practices.
To implement and practice these skills, we suggest also participating in either of these SP Scenarios:
- Supporting your 60-year-old patient through their Gender Emergence
- Taking an Organ Inventory for a New Patient
Cancer Network
Cancer Network focuses exclusively on LGBTQIA+ patients diagnosed with cancer each year. They specialize in providing resources that practitioners can give to their patients and their loved ones in the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis. Like many of the other top resources found here, Cancer Network has a list of LGBTQ-welcoming healthcare providers.
Of particular note is their Welcoming Spaces curriculum which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues in this space and cultural humility. It comes in an eight-module course that is available for CEU, offered free for the first year.
Simclusive
At Simclusive, our scenarios are created in collaboration with healthcare experts to provide clinicians the opportunity to apply their skills in a standardized format, assess cultural competencies, and increase responsiveness when working with diverse patient populations. In addition to LGBTQIA+ scenarios, our library includes patients from a variety of stigmatized groups around age, religion, race, and more.
The Simclusive blog also serves as a learning tool for healthcare providers. Along with topics about the impact of providing intentional, well-informed care to stigmatized groups, we offer comprehensive resources for healthcare providers looking to provide better care for LGBTQIA+ patients.
Some of our LGBTQ+ resources include:
Put your learning to the test with a Standardized Patient of diverse lived experience. Every scenario in our library includes a clinical therapeutic element so healthcare professionals can apply their skills while developing cultural competencies and cultural humility for more inclusive healthcare.
We help providers nationwide with online simulated, one-on-one video visits with real humans, providing personalized feedback as you learn and train. See how it works or reach out to us today to learn more about how we can guide you as a healthcare provider toward more inclusive care!
