Have you ever wondered what science says about human sexuality? It turns out, biology, chemistry, health sciences, and more support God's plan for our sexuality in humans.

Designed specifically for centers working with a high number of clients in the 18-24 age group, this course will walk through how to work with clients who have been indoctrinated through gender ideology to believe that it is natural for them to be promiscuous. Nothing could be further from the truth and this course is designed to equip your staff with the scientific-based knowledge that will allow them to teach these women the truth that for humans, sexual wellness equals sexual integrity.

Your registration for this class includes a complimentary electronic edition of Dr. Malone's book: Battles of the Sexes. Additionally, by the end of this training, you will earn enough CEU's to apply for or renew your Life Affirming Specialist Designation.

 To participate, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have reliable access to a computer with an internet connection and the ability to download and print documents for additional reading.
• Be able to devote three to four hours per week to the live course session and homework assignments.
• Be self-motivated and comfortable completing additional reading assignments, activities, and tests on your own.

Please note, this session includes a live weekly session Wednesday's at 4 PM EST. Additionally, participants of this training will be able to communicate with the instructors via e-mail.

Next Session: The next session begins October 17, 2022, with our first live session taking place October 19, 2022.

Nursing continuing education contact hours coming to YOU through Medical Professionals at the 2022 Annual Heartbeat International Conference! Come grow your skills in pregnancy help!

Attention Medical Professionals working in pregnancy help medical clinics: an opportunity to advance your knowledge in pregnancy help, provided by Medical Professionals that are experts in their field, is available to you through the Medical Advancement tracks! The workshops this year offer education spanning a variety of topics with the most recent and updated information to strengthen your pregnancy help medical services.

Pre-Conference (Tuesday, March 29):

• Adding STI Testing and Treatment Services:

    Instructor: Karolyn Schrage, Life Choices

• Chemical Abortion Today & Saving Lives with Abortion Pill Rescue Network:

    Instructors: Dr. Brent Boles, Medical Director of APRN, Heartbeat International
                       Christa Brown, Director of Medical Impact, Heartbeat International
                       Dr. George Delgado, Steno Institute
                       Medical Impact Team, Heartbeat International

• Sexual Risk Avoidance Training: 

    Instructor: Tracey Pike, Ascend

Conference (Wednesday, March 30^th- Friday, April 1^st)

In person and virtual tracks available to provide education for the pregnancy help community. The workshop topics this year include incorporating STI testing to reach the next generation, tough abortion questions, safety considerations of medical abortion, caring for your ultrasound equipment, the LOVE approach method to scanning, incorporating medical services, chemical abortion in 2022 and much more!

Heartbeat International will offer continuing education nursing contact hour credit for nurses (approved by Heartbeat International). Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Provider Number 16061 for 1.00 contact hour for each qualifying medical workshop and 6.00 contact hours for each In-Depth Day. Medical Professionals ~ please bring your license number if applying for CEUs. Trainings that are approved are marked with an asterisk (*) in the Conference Schedule.

NURSES: To receive continuing education credit, please remember to fill in the appropriate boxes in the registration form online and bring your license number with you to conference!

All courses are also eligible for Life-Affirming Specialist credit hours.

We look forward to seeing you soon in Jacksonville, Florida!

This five week apologetics class will give you the tools you need to answer and defend your pro-life position compellingly, compassionately, and with love.

Together as a class, each week we will walk through a chapter of Stephanie Gray's, Love Unleashes Life, review supplemental material, and participate in exercises and discussion applying the chapter specifically to our role in Pregnancy Help Organizations. You'll also have the opportunity to join Stephanie Gray for a live Q&A session on January 27th at 1 PM EST.

 If you're looking to build your confidence in discussing abortion or sharing your pro-life position, this class is for you.

Cost: $59.95 (or $49.95 for affiliates!) A copy of the book LOVE Unleashes Life is required for this course and will need to be purchased separately. You can find the book here.  

Next Session: The next session of LOVE Unleashes Life is January 10 - February 13

by Jennifer Minor, Editor/Writer

Somewhere between Pregnancy Help Institute and the Heartbeat International Annual Conference every year, there's a training gap. Individuals continue to take courses online at Heartbeat Academy, but that communal learning experience is missing.

That's why Heartbeat International developed ConCERT.

ConCERT is an advanced distance learning course to equip volunteer consultants with the information, skills, and perspectives that take them to the next level for providing effective consultation to individuals making choices in regard to sexual integrity, pregnancy, and parenting.
Deb Neybert, MA, LAS says, "As a trainer, I enjoy getting to know the students, and reading their comments posted on our online forum. Often they have great insights to share with each other, and it enhances the learning experience."

Since The LOVE Approach training is a pre-requisite to ConCERT, students interact with peers that have had similar experiences. According to Neybert, "Students say the most exciting part of ConCERT is the practical application as they have the opportunity to respond to verbatim assignments and the on-line forum communication."

Besides all of these benefits, by the end of ConCERT, students earn 14 CEU's toward the Life Affirming Specialist Designation. That's enough to apply for or renew your LAS!

Tweet this! The next session of ConCERT begins on January 11, 2015, and registration is open now.

The next session of ConCERT begins on January 11, 2015, and registration is open now. Information on pricing, registration, and other important dates can be found here.

Learn more and sign up today!

By Connie Ambrecht RDMS, CMB

It was very exciting when your Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) changed to a Pregnancy Medical Clinic (PMC). I am certain you can recall the enthusiastic atmosphere that filled the center as you reached your goal of changing from having a focus on material assistance to focusing on being able to answer the question; “Am I pregnant?” through medical imaging. Providing confirmation of pregnancy was finally a goal actualized!

Looking back at the steps that were taken, everyone on the team participated in training that was a necessary component to adding medical services. From the Board of Directors, the Executive Director and the Clinic or Nurse Manager, every aspect of the PRC was educated about the change. Our team at Sonography Now participated in the change at over 500 PRC to PMC transitions and our responsibility to you remains. Our role as an education company is to keep ourselves educated and pass that along to you. Our team attends approximately 6-8 conferences per year to keep abreast of trends that impact your clinical setting.

For many of you, that initial investment in getting to know what was needed for a PRC to become a PMC was the start and the finish to your education as it relates to being a clinic. Let’s review what is necessary for the medical personnel in particular to remain strong for the PMC. Then let’s consider: What does each member of the team need to do to remain strong for the PMC we serve?

For those such as NARAL Pro-Choice America who would like to see our doors close, they state things like: “CPCs are a growing threat to women's health. They often lie to women about abortion and birth control. They'll do anything to scare a woman away from choosing legal abortion.” They consider this a challenge to address.

We don’t believe there is a need to feel a panic in addressing such accusations, instead we feel it is wiser to be methodical about how you keep your entire organization educated. We want you to be empowered to discuss how and why you stay strong. In considering a methodical approach to your team’s education, there are a few things to ask… Who needs to be educated? How would we get such education? Where do we get the funding? Where can we go? Do we have to go anywhere? Who decides who needs what? There are so many legitimate things to consider.

This article is to assist you in building a plan for continuing education as it relates to your team, as well as providing talking points to aid in community relations.

As we begin, I’d like to outline a few facts: you provide medical services, sonography and maybe SDI testing, so that’s what makes you a clinic…embrace it. As a clinic, the public has certain expectations…be aware of those expectations. With those expectations comes the responsibility to provide your medical services at a level that meets standards as established by professional organizations.

Do you have an awareness of who those organizations are? Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), American Nurses Association (ANA), and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS)? Each of these organizations has guidelines and/or recommendations for continuing education. Let’s look at each one, create a talking point and build a plan to implement.

• According to AWHONN, the RN who performs sonography “should demonstrate educational and clinical expertise in obstetrics….”

• In the new Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, the ANA clearly states in Provision 5 that “the nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth.” Provision 7 states that “the nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development.”

• The SDMS clearly requires all sonographers, registered or unregistered, under Section II, to “maintain continued competence through lifelong learning, which includes continuing education, acquisition of specialty specific credentials and re-credentialing.”

If you take the three professional organizations above and build a talking point you might be ready to state; “As a clinic we find it is a priority to maintain competency, build skills and knowledge, because we value keeping up with medical standards.”

Your approach to building an education plan will vary from clinic to clinic. Annual Conferences such as the Heartbeat International Conference can build your medical team as well as others who attend. As education organizations, Sonography Now and Equip Leaders Now are committed to maintaining a large library of courses for the Pregnancy Medical Clinic that can grow your entire team. We recognize the importance of keeping up on trends, building the team's knowledge base and providing quality care and focus on that aspect of your services.

To quote Maya Angelou, “If we know better we do better”. We know you need continuing education in order to do better. Our obligation to you is to stay informed and pass it along. We look forward to serving you this year in regards to your education needs.

Connie Ambrecht RDMS CMB and her husband Dan founded Sonography Now in 2002. Connie has been published in professional journals, has spoken at national conferences. Sonography Now has provided training to physicians, nurses, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, midwives, radiologic technologists, as well as cross-training other sonography specialists.