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2027 Symposium

Call for Presenters Proposal Guide

The Emotional Emergency: Reproductive Loss Beyond the Medical Moment

A practical, presenter-friendly guide to developing an ANCC-aligned proposal with a strong Professional Practice Gap, supporting evidence, and measurable learning outcomes grounded in compassionate, trauma-informed care.

Thank you for partnering with us to create meaningful, high-quality accredited education for the 2027 Symposium for Reproductive Grief Care. We are deeply grateful for presenters who share expertise, research, lived experience, and practical strategies that advance more compassionate and clinically responsive reproductive grief care.

Questions? If you have any questions regarding any elements of the proposal submission process, please contact Elsa Arens.

Theme Alignment

We invite presenters to intentionally align their submissions with the symposium theme, The Emotional Emergency: Reproductive Loss Beyond the Medical Moment, and its associated learning outcomes.

This activity is designed to address a critical gap in current practice: the under-recognition and inconsistent response to the emotional and psychological impact of reproductive loss. As such, strong proposals will clearly demonstrate how the content contributes to defining, recognizing, and responding to reproductive loss as an emotional emergency through evidence-based, trauma-informed, and compassionate approaches to care.

Proposals should:

  • Reflect one or more of the stated learning outcomes
  • Address identified gaps in current care practices and/or provider competencies
  • Incorporate evidence-based content and/or lived experience perspectives
  • Highlight practical strategies that support whole-person, interdisciplinary care, including continuity of care and follow-up support

Submissions that clearly connect their content to improving recognition, response, and long-term support for individuals experiencing reproductive loss will be prioritized.

Create a proposal that is thoughtful, meaningful & clinically relevant

Strong proposals identify a real problem in practice, support that problem with evidence, and show how the session will help learners improve care, communication, and continuity of support after reproductive loss.

What every strong proposal includes

  • A clear Professional Practice Gap
  • Supporting evidence or sources
  • Measurable learning outcomes

1. What is a Professional Practice Gap?

A Professional Practice Gap (PPG) describes the difference between what is currently happening in practice and what should be happening based on evidence, standards, or best practice.

In simple terms: What is happening now, what should be happening instead, and why does that difference matter?

For this symposium, strong PPGs will often connect to the mismatch between the management of the physical event of reproductive loss and the recognition of the accompanying emotional and psychological crisis. Strong proposals should help define and make visible this emotional emergency.

Strong PPG Example

Many healthcare professionals are trained to manage the physical aspects of reproductive loss but lack preparation in recognizing and responding to the emotional and psychological crisis that often accompanies it. This gap can lead to unaddressed grief, trauma responses, fragmented continuity of care, and missed opportunities for supportive intervention.

Why it works: It identifies the current state, names the desired state, explains the impact, and aligns with the symposium theme.

Weak PPG Example

Reproductive grief is important and should be discussed more.

Why it falls short: It is too broad, does not identify a gap in practice, and does not explain why the issue matters for patient care or professional performance.

2. What counts as supporting evidence?

Your PPG should be supported by evidence showing that the issue is current, meaningful, and relevant to practice. In most cases, 1 to 3 strong sources is enough.

Helpful source types

  • Research articles
  • Clinical guidelines
  • Professional standards
  • Quality improvement data
  • Published reports or practice literature

Example

Research shows that individuals experiencing pregnancy loss are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms, yet bereavement care practices remain inconsistent across healthcare settings.

3. How do I write strong learning outcomes?

Learning outcomes describe what participants will be able to do after attending your session. Strong outcomes are action-oriented, measurable, and clearly tied to professional practice.

Use action verbs like:

  • Differentiate
  • Identify
  • Apply
  • Analyze
  • Integrate
  • Evaluate

Avoid vague verbs like:

  • Understand
  • Learn about
  • Be aware of

Weak Outcome

Participants will understand grief after pregnancy loss.

Stronger Outcomes

  • Participants will identify at least three signs of emotional distress following reproductive loss that require supportive intervention.
  • Participants will apply at least one grief-informed communication strategy in clinical or support settings.

4. Putting it all together

Example of a strong submission

Professional Practice Gap:
Many clinicians are equipped to manage the physical aspects of miscarriage but report limited training in addressing the emotional and psychological needs of patients, resulting in inconsistent grief support and missed opportunities for early intervention.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Differentiate between physical and emotional responses to reproductive loss.
  2. Identify evidence-based strategies for supporting patients experiencing acute grief.
  3. Apply compassionate communication techniques in patient or family interactions.

5. Tips for a strong proposal

  • Be specific about the problem your session addresses.
  • Connect your topic to real-world practice.
  • Focus on what learners will do differently after the session.
  • Align your proposal with the symposium theme of the emotional emergency.
  • Consider how your session supports compassionate, multidisciplinary care.

6. A final note

We deeply value both professional expertise and lived experience. Your work contributes to a more compassionate, responsive, and evidence-informed system of care for individuals and families experiencing reproductive loss.