Sexual health training for health providers
Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)
ASHM is contracted by Queensland Health to support health professionals in Queensland by delivering free, high-quality HIV, viral hepatitis and sexual health education sessions and workforce development programs​. Training is available for doctors, nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers/practitioners, and other health professionals.
ASHM training calendar
- STI and BBV Nursing: An Introduction
Nurses and midwives have invaluable communication skills and are well placed to identify priority populations for screening. Through a case study, presentations, interactive quizzes and online learning module, this two-part workshop will provide nurses and midwives with the introductory skills to incorporate STI and BBV screening within their workplace. - STI and BBV Nursing: Management and Care
This four-part course helps nurses, midwives and sexual health workers understand the public health aspects and clinical management of common STIs, HIV and hepatitis B. The course helps participants develop confidence in a proactive and practical approach to health care and evidence-based practice. - Sexual Health in Primary Care
This two-part workshop will provide primary care providers with the information and tools required to improve STI screening and care for at-risk and key affected populations. The workshop will also cover strategies available for the prevention of HIV transmission and highlight the importance of contact tracing and partner notification. - Sexual Health Update
This workshop will provide primary care providers with the information and tools required to improve STI screening and care for at-risk and key affected populations. The update will also highlight the importance of contact tracing and partner notification. - Deadly Sex Networking Update
This webinar provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and other health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients with an update on sexual health, STIs and HIV.
Online learning modules
- Syphilis Outbreak Training
This syphilis training website provides integral professional development for any health practitioners working in areas affected by the syphilis outbreak including doctors, nurses, midwives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers - Introduction to Syphilis Nursing
The Introduction to Syphilis Nursing online learning module is designed to provide nurses with knowledge of priority populations for screening and testing, appropriate testing, interpretation of serology and contact tracing to reduce syphilis infections in Australia.
True Relationships and Reproductive Health
True Relationships and Reproductive Health delivers training for people working in different fields and offers online education, group webinars, half and full-day training for professionals. Costs vary depending on course.
True medical education and clinical training course catalogue
- Sexually Transmissible Infections: The Big Picture (online course) – Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) 18 pts (6pts per module)
- Introduction to Sexual and Reproductive Health (online course) – RACGP pts available
- Migrant and Refugee Reproductive and Sexual Health: Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice – RACGP 40 pts
ThinkGP
The NSW STI Programs Unit offers free, online training modules and informative videos about STI testing, management and partner notification for GPs and other primary care clinicians through the Think GP portal. To access the modules you will need to create a ThinkGP user account and then search for ‘sexual health’
- STI management essentials for general practice (6mins 40 sec)– a short video with a rural GP and an urban GP discussing practical strategies for talking to patients about STI testing, diagnosis and contact tracing.
- HIV PrEP prescribing in general practice – RACGP 3 pts | ACRRM 2 Pts
- Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs and Sexual Health – RACGP 40 pts | ACRRM 30 pts
- STI Testing and how GPs can raise ‘sensitive issues’ with patients – Article by Dr Catrina Ooi, Clinic 16 Sexual Health Clinic, North Sydney.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
Find a sexual health course through RACGP
- Contact tracing for STIs – New resources and supportive evidence – an article containing resources and evidence to assist GPs to initiate partner notification when a patient is diagnosed with an STI.
Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
- Rural Sexual Health – 01 Introduction and overview ACRRM 1 pt
- Rural Sexual Health – 02 STI Testing and treating ACRRM 1 pt
- Rural Sexual Health – 03 Contact tracing ACRRM 1 pt
Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH)
The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH) provides free online training specifically for professionals who deliver healthcare in rural and remote settings.
- Online learning modules – Rural Sexual Health Care – RACGP 2 pts per hour of learning
Healthy Male (formerly Andrology Australia)
Provides a free eLearning portal offering male reproductive health education for GPs and primary health care nurses including content on engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and men’s business, and reproductive health in young adult males.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers
True Relationships and Reproductive Health
- Djiyadi Can we talk? A resource manual for sexual health workers who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Funded by the Department of Health and Ageing.
- The No Shame: Yarn About It Training Video tells the story of Liz and Dan, sexual health workers in the ‘Harmony Bay’ clinic in Queensland and how they support the sexual health of their clients Tracey and Marcus. The video includes interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sexual health workers, and scenarios of having conversations about sexual health, STI testing and partner notification.
This video helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sexual health workers to:
- support young people to feel safe about coming to their clinic
- break the ice and get clients yarning about sexual health
- balance the worker's own values and beliefs with the responsibility to be professional
- know the important things to tell clients about STI testing.
Viewers of this movie are respectfully warned some of the people whose images appear in the video may have passed away.
This resource was produced in 2012 by Family Planning Queensland (now known as True relationships and reproductive health), with funding from Queensland Health.
Video run time: 33 mins. Read the video transcript (PDF, 95KB)
Department of Health Western Australia
- The WA STI Education Project contains a special modulespecifically for Nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers (primarily for those in WA but available to practitioners in other States and Territories). Funded by the WA Department of Health — Australian College of Nursing (ACN) 2 CPD hours.
Contact tracing and partner notification training
Partner notification or contact tracing is an essential part of reducing the transmission of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs). It can be done via patient referral (where the patient contacts their partners, or provider referral (the health provider discreetly contacts the patient’s partner/s for them). This can be a difficult and sensitive undertaking which requires support and training.
Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)
See the Australasian Contact Tracing Guidelines
- Fundamentals of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health. Suitable for nurses, and other health professionals. Face to face training with online 1.5-hour introduction module. Contains a specific partner notification module–Breaking the cycle: discussing contact tracing with your patients:
Key partner notification information included:
- Understanding contact tracing
- Understanding patient and doctor responsibilities following a positive STI diagnosis
- Initiating conversations
- Supporting index patient to notify their partners
- Knowing where to get support for contact tracing.
Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine
- Rural Sexual Health–Module 03 Contact tracing training. For GPs.Online, free for ACRRM members – ACRRM 1 pt
Includes:
- Importance of the GP in contact tracing
- How to initiate partner notification
- Different methods of contact tracing
- Available resources to support GPs and patients.
- STI management in general practice: contact tracing – RACGP 2 pts | ACRRM 1 pt
- Sexually Transmissible Infections Module 1: The Big Picture (Module 1, Unit 5 is Contact Tracing)
ThinkGP
- STI management in general practice: contact tracing – RACGP 2 pts | ACRRM 1 pt
True Relationships and Reproductive Health
- Sexually Transmissible Infections Module 1: The Big Picture (Module 1, Unit 5 is Contact Tracing) - RACGP 6 pts per module
Queensland Health
- Appointed Contact Tracing Officer training Online course for health professionals (Queensland Health employees only) who will be applying for official appointment as a Contact Tracing Officer. The course contains the following elements:
- The concept and importance of contact tracing
- Legislative requirements re. privacy and confidentiality
- Communication strategies to be used when undertaking contact tracing.
Note: This course does not specifically address contact tracing for STIs.
Other training
- Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ) – runs a range of courses for professionals working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Police and blood-borne viruses, Australasian Society for HIV Medicine – A resource for Australian police officers about blood-borne viruses (BBVs), rights to confidentiality about BBV status, and what to do if exposed.
- Iris Education – provides professional development with flexible delivery options focusing on reproductive and sexual health education for health professionals.
