The Montreal Sensitive Pelvic Exam Collective has been collaborating with the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in the delivery of the Sensitive Pelvic Exam Workshop since the 1990s.

The purpose of this workshop is to teach basic examination techniques and a sensitive approach to providing pelvic exams. The workshop helps to demystify and personalize a very intimate clinical exam experience. The content is influenced by the collective’s philosophy of holistic health and principles of non-judgment. The teaching approach is grounded in a feminist tradition; who better to teach this sensitive exam than the individuals who receive it?

In addition to being trained in standardized exam techniques, our instructors each bring their own unique expertise and diverse perspectives. We provide valuable feedback and insight into patient experiences that cannot be matched by textbooks or anatomical models. Students frequently report feeling more empowered to practice the exam in a real clinical setting after having undergone this workshop.

• A supportive and non-competitive learning environment

• Confidence in clinical skills

• A professional and respectful clinical environment

• Patient-centered care

• Sensitivity to different patient experiences, such as sexual history, levels of education and gender identity

• Trauma-informed care

• Patient empowerment

• Consent

“Your approach for the pelvic examination was clearly patient-centred, and you clearly demonstrate how to treat patients with respect, by learning from their perspectives [...] the workshop has clearly exceeded my expectations! [...] I am now seeing the big picture of your noble involvement. Part of it is obviously for us, to sharpen our skills, but it is also for an infinite number of women who will go through that process. I was able to sense that you want to make it more appropriate, more comfortable and more patient-oriented for them. And for that, from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you.”