The Professional Association for Trans Health Ireland (PATHI) will offer three training sessions to build the skills and competencies of healthcare workers and providers when working with trans and gender diverse people. This is part of a growing effort to increase access to gender-affirming care in Ireland and diminish systemic and structural limitations to healthcare for trans, non-binary, and intersex people. 

The training offers three separate modules, each aimed at providing development of trainees’ cultural and communication skills, as well as varying levels of clinical roles and competencies. How to provide gender-affirming care is not consistently taught in medical education and can vary greatly from typical healthcare. 

The first of the three modules, the Foundation Module, is open to anyone who supports trans and gender diverse people in any way related to healthcare. This module will lay the groundwork for clinical education, examining principles related to trans healthcare and how to support change across the healthcare system as an ally in the field.

The second of the three modules, Intermediate, will be more focused on clinical knowledge. Topics covered in this module will include sexual health, general health needs for trans people, and gender-affirming care topics that will aid in prescribing hormones.  

The final module will focus primarily on prescribing and is directed specifically towards general practitioners and nurses who work in primary care and sexual health fields. Following a five-step prescribing process for gender-affirming care, the course will explore the informed consent model, step-by-step clinical reasoning, and finally work through frequently encountered problems. 

“One of the biggest barriers to providing gender care for healthcare providers is the fear of getting it wrong and accidentally upsetting someone,” a spokesperson for PATHI said.

“Education is the key to breaking down barriers. The PATHI training will ensure that those completing it will be equipped to provide properly informed, sensitive, appropriate care to the gender diverse community.”

The sessions will take place from September 11 to 13 at University College Cork. The training is part of Trans Care 2026, a conference focused on creative and interdisciplinary methodologies for trans, gender‑diverse, and intersex-inclusive healthcare research and education. Find out more information about the modules here.