Participants who register for this course have the option to attend the course live and/or watch the recorded sessions later. The recording will be available to all registrants for a 2-week period after the course/each session. This allows participants who may not be able to attend the live sessions to still benefit from the course content.
To facilitate attendance tracking, please indicate on your registration form if you won't be attending live.
Description:
As clinicians we generally did not get formal education on changes to the vulva. Kathryn Flanigan a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner (aka The Pelvic Diva), with over 20 years experience, will be discussing the anatomy of the vulva throughout the lifespan, and the normal changes with age and stage of life. Furthermore, common conditions, identification and management of "The Itchy Vulva" will be addressed.
Objectives:
- Highlight vulvar anatomy throughout the lifespan “What is normal?”
- Brief review age-related changes of the vulva
- Review general vulvar care
- Describe common vulvar conditions, diagnosis and management
- Brief discussion of vulvar biopsy and steroid use and when to refer
Audience: Open to all healthcare and wellness professionals.
Prerequisites: None
Registration Form
Schedule
Date/Time: May 6, 2024, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm ET (Toronto). Please convert to your local time zone
Delivery Format
Live attendance is not mandatory for this online course. Enjoy a 2-week window to access and review the course recording, which is sent out on the next business day. We understand that life can be busy, which is why we offer you the freedom to access the course recording(s) during the time-limited viewing period.
Instructor
Kathryn Flanigan, Nurse Practitioner
Kathryn Flanigan graduated from University of Toronto with her BScN in 1986. She subsequently completed her Nurse Practitioner (NP) certificate in primary health care from Western University, then returned to complete her Master in Nursing. Kathryn was the recipient of the 2013-2014 Elizabeth Wooster Gold Medal Award for highest academic standing in the MScN program at Western.
She has worked for 9 years at a Community Health Centre in Kitchener Ontario. Since 2009, she has worked as a nurse practitioner at the Centre for Family Medicine (CFFM) Family Health Team. Kathryn has completed several courses through Pelvic Health Solutions on UI, pelvic pain and prolapse management. She has also organized several workshops for primary care providers on UI (male and female), prolapse and pessary care management with pelvic health PTs.
As an NP in primary care, her work includes smoking cessation counseling and assessment and management of pelvic health issues such as pelvic pain, urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. She manages pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse for over 60 patients. Furthermore, Kathryn runs a Women’s Health Procedures Clinic with Dr Emma Scotchmer at CFFM where they offer IUD insertions, endometrial biopsies and vulvar biopsies and menopause management for rostered patients.
She is also an adjunct clinical professor at McMaster University. In both 2019 and 2023, Kathryn received an award for Interdisciplinary Preceptor of the Year from McMaster Family Medicine Residents, Waterloo Campus.
What people are saying
This course is extremely valuable. As a Physiotherapist, diagnosis of tissue changes is outside of my scope of practice in my province, however I observe vulvar tissues every day in my practice. This course helped build my confidence in identifying 'normal' vs 'abnormal' tissues, know what is considered normal with aging, and strengthened my role as an advocate for my clients who demonstrate tissue changes but haven't yet pursued the assessment or work up needed by their primary care provider. Knowing what different tissue concerns look like and common treatment protocols helped me to know when to refer back to medical care providers and provide clients with additional resources that they could explore. I look at all the mechanisms that could contribute to pelvic pain with my clients, and this course helped me to 'fill in the blank' regarding local 'tissue issues' that need to be addressed for client comfort and success.
- Jenny T