Medical Consultant Application Packet

User Manual: Medical Consultant Application Packet

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Certificate Programs for

Creighton Model

v Practitioners

v Instructors

v Educators

v Supervisors

v Medical Consultants

v Nurse Practitioners

v Physician Assistants

v Nurse Midwives

v Pharmacists

Education Program Offerings

An Authentic Language of a

Woman’s Health and Fertility

6901 Mercy Road

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, Nebraska 68106

Phone: 402.390.6600

Fax: 402.390.9851

www.popepaulvi.com

Education Phase I

October 6-13, 2007

Education Phase II

April 5-12, 2008

>CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction .............................................................................. 1

FertilityCare Centers of America .............................................. 1

Practitioner Program ................................................................ 2

Instructor Program ................................................................... 5

Medical Consultant Program ................................................... 5

Medical Consultant/Practitioner Program

Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant,

Nurse Midwife and Pharmacist Programs ............................... 7

Auditor Program ...................................................................... 7

International Students .............................................................. 8

Continuing Education Credits .................................................. 9

Final Certi cate Examination .................................................. 10

Applicant Eligibility ................................................................. 10

Educator Program .................................................................... 11

Supervisor Program ................................................................. 11

Joint Sponsorship and Certi cates ........................................... 11

Faculty ...................................................................................... 12

Tuition ...................................................................................... 13

Textbook Fees .......................................................................... 13

Location ................................................................................... 14

Room, Board,

and Hotel Classroom Fees ...................................................... 14

Financial Aid ............................................................................ 15

Application, Deposit and Deadlines ........................................ 16

Certificate Programs

Outlined in this

Program Offering

are Jointly Sponsored by:

Pope Paul VI Institute

for the

Study of Human Reproduction

and

Creighton University School of Medicine

Division of Continuing Medical Education

Omaha, Nebraska

USA

The Practitioner, Instructor, Educator,

Supervisor and Medical Consultant Programs

are accredited by The American Academy

of FertilityCare Professionals

All graduates of these programs must be af liated with FertilityCare

Centers of America in order to obtain Creighton Model FertilityCare

System client teaching materials.

Comments from Participants

“The dedication and approachability of the faculty

members was inspiring and it was great to hear the

personal stories behind their life’s work with Creighton

Model. The fact that they have all dedicated such large

portions of their lives to this added enormous weight to

each presentation, as it was clear that therein lay a true

belief of heart and soul.”

“It was a phenomenal class. I am deeply grateful to have

been instructed by the people who actually developed

the system and wrote the books! Thank you everyone

and God bless you all.”

2

>THE CREIGHTON MODEL FERTILITYCARE SYSTEM

PRACTITIONER PROGRAM

The 13 month program is the primary program for teachers. There

are two education phases, two supervised practica and an On-Site

Visit, providing education in both the basic as well as advanced

aspects of this System. Only the education phases are done on campus;

all other educational services are provided through an innovative

system of long distance supervision and On-Site Visitation.

The  rst education phase is an eight day total immersion course.

At the conclusion of these eight days, participants should be able to

demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• History of Natural Family Planning

• Anatomy of the Male and Female Reproductive System

• The Menstrual Cycle; Statistical Parameters

• The Mechanism of Anovulation and Oligoovulation

• The Physiology of the Cervix

• The Physiology of Breast Feeding and Menopause

• Psychodynamics of Contraception, NFP and Human Sexuality

• Humanae Vitae

• Philosophical Attitudes on Family Life, Family Planning and Unplanned

Pregnancy

• Human Sexuality, Married Love and the Use of Natural Methods

of Family Planning

• The Beginnings of Human Life

• The Methods of Contraception

• Physical and Psychological Aspects of Induced Abortion

• Teaching Fertility Appreciation and Utilization of Good Judgment

• The Natural Methods of Family Planning and their Comparative

Evaluation

• Use Effectiveness of Natural and Arti cial Methods of Family Planning

• The Creighton Model FertilityCare System

• The Importance of Standardized Teaching

• Basic Chart Reading and Chart Correcting

• Special System Instructions

• The Scienti c Foundations of the Creighton Model

• Basic Principles of Follow-up

• The Organization and Flow of the First and Subsequent Follow-ups

• How to Conduct an Introductory Session and Follow-up

• The Creighton Model Follow-up Form and Techniques of Follow-up

• Critical Evaluation of the Health Bene ts of Contraception

• Basic Problem Solving

• An Introduction to Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology)

• An Introduction to a Case Management Approach to Teaching

>

CURRICULUM CONTENT

EDUCATION PHASE I October 6-13, 2007

>INTRODUCTION

1

The Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction

is the leading education and research center in the United States

in the area of the natural regulation of human fertility and the

development of morally and professionally acceptable reproductive

health services. Dedicated to Pope Paul VI’s challenge to “physicians

and health care professionals” and to “men of science,” it is a living

memorial to the challenges placed before us by Pope Paul VI in his

encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life).

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System and the new women’s

health science of NaProTechnology have been developed through a

research and education effort coordinated and directed by Thomas

W, Hilgers, MD, director of Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of

Human Reproduction and clinical professor in the Department of

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Creighton University Medical Center.

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System provides comprehensive,

professional services through individualized follow-up, standardized

teaching tools and ongoing research. The Creighton Model is

a medically standardized modi cation of the Billings Ovulation

Method. It is the only education program in this  eld that meets the

education demands of a newly emerging allied health profession

and provides a case management approach to teaching.

This is the 30th consecutive year in which Creighton Model

Education Programs have been offered. Two organizations designed

to unite Creighton Model FertilityCare Centers nationally

and internationally are FertilityCare Centers of America and

FertilityCare Centers International.

Faculty realizes no  nancial gain from their involvement in the

education programs.

“The Creighton Model sells itself

- no bias, just the facts.”

Comment from

Participant

3

• The Principles of Case Management

• Case Management Laboratory

• Basic Business Aspects and Marketing of FertilityCare Services

• Utilization of Forms for Record Keeping and Standardized Teaching

• Qualities of Being a Professional

>SUPERVISED PRACTICUM I

The program involves a faculty supervised experience, which is six

months in duration and is to be completed at the new student’s own

home location. This structured experience develops basic teaching

skills of the program:

• Presentation of the Introductory Session

• How to do a Follow-up

• The Techniques of Follow-up

• Use of Basic Organizational Tools

• Evaluation of Case Reports

• Presentation of the Picture Dictionary

• Teaching Observations

• Basic Case Management

• Case Management Evaluation

This education phase is a six day total immersion format, consisting

of lecture, clinical group discussion and hands-on problem solving of

the advanced aspects of teaching the Creighton Model FertilityCare

System. Participants should be able to demonstrate knowledge and

ability of the following:

• The Basic Presentation of Cases

• Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology)

• Advanced Case Management I - Infertility

• Advanced Case Management II - Unusual Bleeding

• Advanced Case Management III - Management of Continuous

Mucus Discharge

• Advanced Case Management IV - The Use of Yellow Stamps

• The Principles of Pregnancy Evaluation

• How to Conduct a Pregnancy Evaluation

• Basic Communication Skills

• How to Manage the Human Resources of a Creighton Model

FertilityCare Center

• Basic Ethical Principles

• Management of Advanced Issues

• Advanced Case Management V - Dif cult Cases

• Advanced Organizational Aspects

• Comprehensive Case Review

>PRACTITIONER INTERNS ONLY

EDUCATION PHASE II April 7-12, 2008

4

This education experience is seven months in duration and is a

supervised clinical experience at the Intern’s home location. The

clinical aspects of this supervised practicum are devoted to learning

advanced teaching skills in:

>SUPERVISED PRACTICUM II

PRACTITIONER INTERNS ONLY

• Advanced Chart Reading and Correcting

• Advanced Case Management

• Case Management Evaluation

• Conducting Pregnancy Evaluations

• Writing Goals and Objectives

• Writing Job Descriptions

• Completing Assignments on Advanced Case Management

In addition, this practicum includes an On-Site Visit by a member of

the Creighton Model faculty and/or an Educator/Supervisor Intern. At

the On-Site Visit the following will be reviewed:

• Introductory Session Critique and Review

• Follow-up Critique and Review

• Tour of Facilities

• Comprehensive Case Review

SPANISH FERTILITYCARE SYSTEM

TEACHING MATERIALS

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System client teaching

materials are available in Spanish. However, only a Practitioner

Intern who is bilingual and  uent in Spanish will be permitted to

teach in Spanish and use those materials. The bilingual student

must have successfully completed Education Phase I and

Supervised Practicum I in English prior to obtaining the

Spanish materials and teaching in Spanish. Certain Spanish

teaching materials are available to non-bilingual students during

SPII who have an opportunity to teach Spanish speaking couples

if one spouse is bilingual.

“Interaction with the other students

was so special. Hearing people’s

stories, sharing their sorrows and

joys made this a deeply moving

experience.”

Comment from

Participant

6

>THE CREIGHTON MODEL FERTILITYCARE SYSTEM

INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM

In addition to those topics presented in the Creighton Model

FertilityCare System Practitioner Core Curriculum for Education

Phase I and Education Phase II (listed previously), Medical

Consultants have these additional core components:

During the supervised practicum period, those involved in the Medical

Consultant Program will be asked to give a total of three hours of

in-service lecture time on the Creighton Model FertilityCare System

to medical professionals in their area. These could include medical

students, nursing students, nurses, physicians, colleagues, etc. In

addition, there are three open book assignments. The Medical

Consultant may choose to complete either an honors project or an

honors thesis for an honors program. The honors project involves

completion of a use effectiveness evaluation using pre-designed

worksheets; the honors thesis consists of a research paper on a

topic of one’s choice related to the  eld of natural family planning.

Special recognition will be given to those students who satisfactorily

complete assignments for the honors program.

>

SUPERVISED PRACTICUM

MEDICAL CONSULTANTS ONLY

5

This is a seven month program, open to persons with less than two

years of post high school education. It is designed to provide only

basic education in the Creighton Model FertilityCare System. These

teachers may teach only under the supervision of a FertilityCare

Practitioner. The training program includes one education phase

and one supervised practicum. Only those curriculum items that are

previously outlined for Education Phase I and Supervised Praticum

I make up the Instructor Program. There is no Education Phase II or

On-Site Visit.

>THE CREIGHTON MODEL FERTILITYCARE SYSTEM

MEDICAL CONSULTANT PROGRAM

This is a six month program, designed to assist physicians to

incorporate into their medical practices the newly emerging science

of Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology). It also assists

the physician to work in a supportive or administrative role with

FertilityCare Programs. This program involves two education phases

and one supervised practicum.

Physicians enrolled in the Medical Consultant Program should

understand that the medical applications they will learn are related

speci cally to the Creighton Model FertilityCare System. Therefore,

they should plan to have a FertilityCare Practitioner available

in their area. It is possible for a physician to enroll in a combined

Medical Consultant/Practitioner Program; however, this course is

demanding, and one must have suf cient time to complete it.

If a physician is interested in the Medical Consultant Program but

Education Phase I dates pose a scheduling con ict, the physician

may attend Education Phase I in another location, but must attend

Education Phase II in Omaha. The Pope Paul VI Institute Allied

Health Education Department may be contacted for details.

“Extra-ordinary experience! This

was an outstanding experience

of total immersion!”

Comment from

Participant

>MEDICAL CONSULTANT SPECIFIC

CURRICULUM ITEMS

• Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology): The New Gynecologic

and Reproductive Science

• The Important Role of Medical Consultants in the Future of FertilityCare

• The Creighton Model FertilityCare System Core Curriculum

• Chronic Discharges and the Use of Criteria

• Targeted Endocrine Evaluation of the Menstrual Cycle

• Cooperative Progesterone Replacement Therapy and Medical Support of the

Luteal Phase

• The Effects of Stress

• The Evaluation and Treatment of Ovarian Cysts

• The Evaluation and Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome

• The Dating of the Beginning of Pregnancy

• The Prevention of Premature Birth

• Ovulation and its Anatomic and Functional Disorders

• Types I, II, III, IV and V Luteal Phase De ciencies and Follicular Phase

De ciency

• Progesterone as a Therapeutic Hormone: Human Identical Progesterone vs.

Artimones (Isomolecular vs. Herteromolecular)

“This course had great scienti c

content and provided avenues for

great spiritual growth.”

Comment from

Participant

7

In addition to those topics listed for the FertilityCare Practitioner

Program, the Medical Consultant will also be exposed to the

following:

• Research Principles in Natural Family Planning

• How to Conduct a Use Effectiveness Evaluation of Natural Methods

of Family Planning

• The Evaluation and Management of the Infertile Couple

• The Evaluation and Management of Irregular Cycles and Unusual Bleeding

• The Presentation of Actual Cases

• Surgical NaProTechnology

>

MEDICAL CONSULTANTS ONLY

EDUCATION PHASE II April 6-12, 2008

8

For students who come from countries without communication

technology (fax, phone, email, timely mail service), the program for

Practitioners must be completed over a nine month period of study at

the Pope Paul VI Institute. The student must be able to speak English

 uently. The student will be responsible for Room and Board during

this study period of nine months, although the staff of the Pope Paul VI

Institute will assist in making arrangements.

A short period of study will also generally be available in St. Louis, and

the student will conclude study with attendance at the annual meeting

of the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals. Physicians

enrolled in the Medical Consultant Program may attend the two

Education Phases and do the remaining work at home (unless enrolled

in the Practitioner Program). These programs are dedicated Creighton

Model programs.

>INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

TOUR OF POPE PAUL VI INSTITUTE

Students will be invited to tour the

Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction,

6901 Mercy Road, Omaha, NE 68106.

Transportation to and from the hotel is provided.

This is an excellent opportunity to see the unique research and

education facilities of Pope Paul VI Institute for the

Study of Human Reproduction.

“Professional, enthusiastic, and

convicted are the words I would use

to describe this outstanding group

of people. I am motivated to be like

them.”

Comments from

Participants

>

THE NURSE PRACTITIONER, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT,

NURSE MIDWIFE, & PHARMACIST PROGRAMS

Creighton Model programs are also offered to Nurse Practitioners,

Physician Assistants, Nurse Midwives and Pharmacists. For

these programs, see applicant eligibility (page 10). These certi cate

programs include a combination of the Creighton Model FertilityCare

Practitioner and Medical Consultant Programs. Both certi cates

- Medical Consultant and Practitioner - will be presented upon

satisfactory completion of the Practitioner Program and all Medical

Consultant assignments and examinations.

A FertilityCare Practitioner who is a Nurse Practitioner, Physician

Assistant, Nurse Midwife or Pharmacist may return to Education

Phase II and complete the Medical Consultant portion of the

program. All Education Phase II dates would need to be attended:

April 5-22, 2008.

>

AUDITORS

The course is available for individuals who do not meet the

applicant eligibility requirements but wish to audit the program.

A physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner may audit

for CME credit; a nurse may audit for CEU credit. For credit

requires satisfactory completion of examinations offered during

the Education Phases.

“I met such a variety of people from all over the USA

and abroad. As I spoke to many of these people, I am

encouraged for the future and for families.”

10

>

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FOR DOCTORS, NURSES,

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS

EDUCATION PHASE I October 6-13, 2007 All students enrolled in the Practitioner, Instructor and Medical

Consultant Programs are required to take a criterion referenced,

professionally administered  nal certi cate examination. The

Practitioner certi cate examination is given in November, the

Instructor exam is given in May, and the Medical Consultant

examination is given on the last day of the second education phase

in April.

The Pope Paul VI Institute Allied Health Education Department

welcomes applications from individuals or couples with strong

motivation and commitment to the very highest quality educational

services in natural family planning.

>APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

9

• The Creighton University School of Medicine designates this

educational activity for a maximum of 62 AMA PRA Category 1

Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with

the extent of their participation in this activity.

• The American Medical Association has determined that physicians not

licensed in the US who participate in this CME activity are eligible for

AMA PRA category 1 credit.

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

cognate hours have been applied for and are pending.

• Application for CME credit has been  led with the American Academy

of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.

EDUCATION PHASE II April 5-12, 2008

>FINAL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

• The Creighton University School of Medicine designates this

educational activity for a maximum of 69 AMA PRA Category 1

Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with

the extent of their participation in this activity.

• The American Medical Association has determined that physicians not

licensed in the US who participate in this CME activity are eligible for

AMA PRA category 1 credit.

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

cognate hours have been applied for and are pending.

• Application for CME credit has been  led with the American Academy

of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.

These activities have been planned and implemented in accordance

with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council

for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of

Creighton University School of Medicine and Pope Paul VI Institute.

The Creighton University School of Medicine is accredited by the

ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Continuing education credit for nurses, social workers and allied

health professionals is provided by Iowa Western Community

College, Iowa Board of Nursing Provider #6, and Iowa Board of

Social Workers Provider #59.

Iowa Western Community College

Continuing Education Credits

Nurses

Others

Iowa

(CEU)

Nebraska

(hours) (hours)

72.44

724.4 724.4

Others

(hours) (hours)

724.4 724.4

PRACTITIONERS:

1. Registered nurse with current license

2. Allied health professional with a BA or BS degree in:

a. Health or basic sciences

b. Behavioral sciences

c. Social sciences

d. Education

e. Other non-health  elds are individually recognized

3. Associate degree/diploma such as:

a. Licensed Practical Nurse

b. Human Services Practitioner

c. Or, the equivalent of two years of college study

MEDICAL CONSULTANTS:

1. Medical physician with current license

2. Nurse Practitioner, Physicians Assistant, or Nurse Midwife

with current license and able to legally prescribe medications

and order tests (with or without proctoring) in the state of

practice.

3. Pharmacist with current license

Further eligibility criterion requires that the applicant(s) do not

prescribe or refer for contraceptives, do not perform or refer for

sterilization or abortion, practice (use) natural family planning

or, if single and celibate, monitor their natural fertility and be a

philosophical acceptor of natural family planning. This program

recognizes that human sexuality is a function of the whole person

and not just a function of its parts. It further recognizes the

scriptural notation that we are “created in the image and likeness

of God” and that such a philosophical principle ultimately

dictates the approach to the human person that will come under

the care of a FertilityCare professional.

11

12

Pope Paul VI Institute FertilityCare Allied Health Education

Programs are accredited by the American Academy of FertilityCare

Professionals (AAFCP). The education programs provide students

the appropriate education background to become eligible for the

certi cation procedures of the AAFCP.

>AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FERTILTYCARE

PROFESSIONALS ACCREDITATION

>

THE FERTILITYCARE EDUCATOR PROGRAM

EDUCATION PHASE I October 6-13, 2007

EDUCATION PHASE II April 3-12, 2008

This 13 month program is the most advanced program available in

fertility care. It is available only to FertilityCare Practitioners with

at least one year of teaching experience and who are certi ed as a

Practitioner (or in the process of being certi ed) by the American

Academy of FertilityCare Professionals (AAFCP). The individual

must have a Bachelor’s Degree or be a Registered Nurse. Some

focus areas of this program include: developing and implementing

a Creighton Model Education Program that meets the standards

of the AAFCP; and serving as faculty on an established education

program. This program has two education phases, two supervised

practica and an On-Site Visit. Contact the Pope Paul VI Institute Allied

Health Education Department for more details on the curriculum

content of this program.

>

JOINT SPONSORSHIP AND CERTIFICATES

Pope Paul VI Institute FertilityCare Allied Health Education

Programs are jointly sponsored by the Creighton University School

of Medicine, Division of Continuing Medical Education and the

Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction.

Upon satisfactory completion of course requirements, a certi cate

will be issued and signed by the President of Creighton

University, the Vice President for Health Sciences and the

Director of the Pope Paul VI Institute.

>THE FERTILITYCARE SUPERVISOR PROGRAM

EDUCATION PHASE I October 6-13, 2007

EDUCATION PHASE II April 5-12, 2008

This program is 13 months in duration and is available only to

FertilityCare Practitioners with at least one year of teaching experience

and who are certi ed as a Practitioner (or in the process of being

certi ed) by the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals

(AAFCP). Some focus areas of this program include: becoming

involved as a clinical faculty member, a supervisor or an on-site

coordinator for a Creighton Model Education Program. This

program has two education phases, two supervised practica, and

an On-Site Visit. Contact the Pope Paul VI Institute Allied Health

Education Department for more details on the curriculum content of

this program.

>FACULTY

Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D., CFCE, CFCMC: Director, Pope Paul VI Institute for

the Study of Human Reproduction, Clinical Professor, Department of Obstetrics and

Gynecology, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska.

Kathy Cherovsky, LPN, CFCS: Co-Director Pope Paul VI Institute FertilityCare

Center of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska.

K. Diane Daly, RN, CFCE: Co-Director, St. John’s Mercy Medical Center Department

of FertilityCare Services; Coordinator, Department of NFP, Archdiocese of St. Louis, St.

Louis, Missouri.

Susan K. Hilgers, BA, CFCE: Faculty Member, Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of

Human Reproduction, Omaha, Nebraska.

Margaret P. Howard, MAM, CFCE: Director, FertilityCare Education Unlimited,

Omaha, Nebraska.

Sr. Renée Mirkes, OSF, Ph.D.: Director, Center for NaProEthics, Pope Paul VI

Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, Omaha, Nebraska.

Teresa Kenney, MSN, ARNP, CNFPNP, FCP: Nurse Practitioner, Pope Paul VI

Institutefor the Study of Human Reproduction, Omaha, Nebraska.

Kelly Morrow, Ph.D.: Clinical Psychologist, Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of

Human Reproduction, Omaha, Nebraska.

Ann M. Prebil, RN, BSN, CFCE: Co-Director, St. John’s Mercy Medical Center

Department of FertilityCare Services, St. Louis, Missouri.

Kathy Rivet, BS, CFCE: Director, FertilityCare Services St. Joseph Hospital;

Coordinator, NaProEducation Program, St. Joseph Hospital, Nashua, New

Hampshire.

Rev. Edward J. Richárd, D. Th. M., J. D.: Vice-Rector, Dean of Students,

Associate Professor of Moral Theology, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary; Director, Paul

VI Ponti cal Institute for Catechetical and Pastoral Studies, St. Louis, Missouri.

Jeanice Vinduska, CFCE: Co-Director Pope Paul VI Institute FertilityCare

Center of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska.

Phyllis White, CFCE: Director, FertilityCare Center of Kansas City,

Blue Springs, Missouri.

14

>

TUITION Current materials distribution procedures take into account the

need to provide the most cost effective means possible to minimize

the additional costs of shipping and/or sales tax for students.

International students should expect to pay higher shipping costs.

The course is held at the Omaha Comfort Inn and Suites.

Accommodations are arranged through the Pope Paul VI Institute

Education of ce, but travel arrangements are the responsibility of the

participating students.

>LOCATION

13

All tuition costs must be paid upon entry into the program or

according to the tuition payment schedule provided by the program.

The following tuition has been established for each program:

>

TEXTBOOK FEES

Required textbooks and client teaching supplies are purchased from

Pope Paul VI Institute Publications and are subject to shipping charges

and/or Nebraska sales tax. Fees for required textbooks vary depending

upon the education program.

• FertilityCare Practitioner ................................................. $2,475

• FertilityCare Instructor .................................................... $1,895

• Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant ................ $2,060

• Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant/

FertilityCare Practitioner Combined Course ................. $2,775

• FertilityCare Educator ...................................................... $2,390

• FertilityCare Supervisor ................................................... $1,925

• Medical Consultant Auditors ............................................ $1,900

All programs require Anatomy and Physiology: A Primer for the

FertilityCare Professional. The Medical Consultant, Educator and

Supervisor programs require The Medical and Surgical Practice

of NaProTechnology. If these are already owned, a reduction in

Publications fees may be requested.

• FertilityCare Practitioner ................................................. $450u

• FertilityCare Instructor .................................................... $360u

• Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant ................ $700

• Medical Consultant /Practitioner Combined .................. $850u

• FertilityCare Educator ...................................................... $745

• FertilityCare Supervisor ................................................... $600

• Medical Consultant Auditor ............................................. $675

u

These programs require the purchase of client teaching materials.

Cost of client teaching materials varies depending upon whether or

not the student is providing Creighton Model FertilityCare Services

within the con nes of an existing center that is af liated with

FertilityCare Centers of America. If beginning an independent

center, the approximate cost of client materials, in order to meet

the requirements necessary for program completion, is $450.50.

It should be noted that initial outlay of expenses for these

supplies may be reimbursable from client fees.

The room, board, and round trip transportation for the Practitioner

On-Site Visit will be the responsibility of the student. These same

expenses will be the responsibility of the Educator/Supervisor

Intern for his/her initial On-Site Visit.

Education Phases I and II room, board, program and hotel classroom

fees will be charged per person at the following rates:

Room and Board - $175 for a double room/2 persons - 2 beds

$205 for a single room/1 person

$242 for a suite (Jacuzzi/Family/Kids)

$223.50 for a suite with 2 students

This fee includes sleeping room, breakfast and lunch (all days),

dinner (EPI=4, EPII=3), breaks, reception, meeting rooms and

classroom set up fees. All sleeping rooms are suites. A $75 per day

facility use fee is charged for those attending the conference but not

wishing meals or lodging; additional arrangements may be made for

meals. All room, board, and hotel classroom fee expenses must

be paid upon entry into each education phase.

The hotel offers complimentary parking and shuttle service to

and from Eppley Air eld. In addition, based on availability, the

shuttle service is available for transport within a one mile radius

of the hotel.

>ROOM, BOARD AND HOTEL CLASSROOM FEES

“Each of the delicate considerations of our

needs were greatly appreciated such as

the student lounge, facility, meals, etc.”

Comment from Participant

15

16

>FINANCIAL AID

>

APPLICATION, DEPOSIT, AND DEADLINES

The Pope Paul VI Institute has limited ability to provide  nancial

assistance. A resource guide for funding suggestions has been

developed for students.

Medical Military applicants may qualify for funding through the

Military. Contact your Military’s Education Service Of ce.

Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan Scholarship Fund

Named for the late archbishop of Omaha, these are tuition scholarships

only and do not apply to the materials fee, room and board or On-Site

Visit expenses. This scholarship fund can assist some students with up

to 50% tuition reduction. For the most part, these scholarship funds are

restricted to the State of Nebraska.

Pope Paul VI Institute Scholarship Fund

These are tuition scholarships only and do not apply to the materials

fee, room and board expenses or On-Site Visit expenses. These can

assist students with tuition reduction in variable amounts and are not

restricted by geography.

Nancy Botkin Memorial Scholarship

These are tuition scholarships only and are restricted to students in

the FertilityCare Educator program.

“Despite the hours, I felt I had (almost) a week-long retreat.

Institute tour was awe-inspiring and inspirational (and

motivational); as well as a concrete example of how God

‘follows-up’ on acts of faith. The faculty were all very caring,

helpful, knowledgeable, patient - excellent role models!”

Comment from Participant

“A worthwhile investment in my

future and the future of all those

whose lives will be forever

changed physically, emotionally,

mentally and spiritually by this

incredible work.”

Comment from Participant

If interested in one of the programs, request an application from the

Pope Paul VI Institute FertilityCare Allied Health Education Of ce.

Class size is limited. Early submission of an application is strongly

recommended. Timely acceptance into the program will allow

adequate study time of the advance books and materials. Applications

received after September 10, 2007 will be assessed a $100 late fee;

no application will be accepted after September 30, 2007.

Upon acceptance into the program, a $225 tuition deposit is required

to secure your enrollment in the class. An advance packet of books and

materials may be sent only after the tuition deposit is received.

WRITE, CALL, FAX OR EMAIL FOR COURSE APPLICATION

Pope Paul VI Institute

Fertility

Care

Allied Health

Education Of ce

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, NE 68106

PHONE: (402) 390-9168

FAX: (402) 390-9851

INTERNET: www.popepaulvi.com

EMAIL: education@popepaulvi.com

Your Six Months with the Pope Paul VI Institute

CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING MEDICAL CONSULTANT PROGRAM

An Approved Continuing Medical Education Offering

Your participation as a Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant

Intern in the Pope Paul VI Institute’s Education program will prove to

be a very rewarding experience. To assist you in your preparation,

please read the following overview of this six month program. The

Creighton Model FertilityCare System and the new women’s

health science of NaProTechnology have been developed through a

research and education effort coordinated and directed by Thomas

W, Hilgers, MD, director of Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of

Human Reproduction and clinical professor in the Department of

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Creighton University Medical Center.

Faculty realizes no financial gain from their involvement in the

education programs.

This program is designed to assist physicians who wish to shift from

the standard medical practice of prescribing artificial contraception

for family planning and all gynecologic conditions to an alternative of

providing a morally acceptable and effective means of responding to

women’s procreative and gynecological health needs. More than 25

years of research has led to the development of this newly emerging

science of NaProTechnology (Natural Procreative Technology). This

science involves the orderly and systematic evaluation of the events

that occur during the course of the menstrual and ovulation cycles

and the treatments that work cooperatively with these natural

procreative cycles.

NaProTechnology provides an effective means to evaluate and treat

common gynecological and reproductive disorders without the use

of oral contraceptives that are currently used for such conditions as:

• Cervical Eversions

• Ovarian Cysts

• Unusual Bleeding

• PMS

In addition, true progesterone replacement therapy is possible

because of our ability to comparatively evaluate the endocrinology of

menstrual cycles. And, with the use of NaProTechnology, we can

better understand the indications and rationale for using

progesterone support in pregnancy, resulting in more positive

outcomes than ever before.

To effectively apply NaProTechnology requires a commitment to the

basic scientific principles that are the foundation of natural

procreative mechanisms. These concepts are rarely covered in

medical schools and residency training programs today. In applying

NaProTechnology in a medical practice, it is strongly recommended

that the physician work cooperatively with a FertilityCare Practitioner.

Since physicians enrolled in the Medical Consultant Program learn

medical applications that are specifically related to the Creighton

Model FertilityCare System, it is expected that a Medical Consultant

will be working with a FertilityCare Practitioner in his/or location. If

there is no Practitioner available, the Medical Consultant must agree

to work toward identifying someone to become a FertilityCare

Practitioner within two years following completion of the Medical Con-

sultant Program. Also, is it possible for a physician to enroll in the

combined Medical Consultant/Practitioner program. However, this

program is demanding and requires sufficient time to complete it

(refer to the Practitioner “Your Year” handout).

COURSE SUMMARY

N

aProTECHNOLOGY

This six month education program to become a Medical Consultant is

a professional training program developed according to basic

educational principles utilized in CME courses. The program is jointly

affiliated with Creighton University School of Medicine and Pope Paul

VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction.

The program is divided into two education phases, which are

designed to be total immersion courses. They are held in Omaha,

Nebraska in the fall and spring. In addition, there is one supervised

practicum (SPI) that begins at the end of Education Phase I (EPI)

and ends with Education Phase II (EPII).

The two education phases are designed to give each student an

appropriate foundation of fundamental theoretical and clinical

knowledge. Various methods of natural family planning will be

reviewed. However, the primary focus of this program will be the

Creighton Model FertilityCare System and NaProTechnology.

During SPI, 3 hours of in-service education must be presented on

NaProTechnology for local physicians, residents, medical students,

nurses and/or nursing students. In addition, 4 standard assignments

must be satisfactorily completed.

Finally, a 3-hour Medical Consultant Final Certificate Examination

must be satisfactorily completed. This exam consists of information

covered during EPI and EPII, including discussions on use-

effectiveness and medical applications of NaProTechnology. A

score of 75.0% must be obtained in order to satisfactorily complete

this examination, which is given at the conclusion of EPII. Program

completion requires satisfactorily completing EPI, EPII, the in-service

program, all four assignments, and the Final Certificate Examination.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF

NAPROTECHNOLOGY IN A MEDICAL PRACTICE

Continuing Education Credits have been approved from the

following:

• Creighton University School of Medicine

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System

PRACTITIONER PROGRAM

Your Year with the Pope Paul VI Institute

It is important that you allow yourself time to

adequately prepare for EPI by reading the textbooks tha

t

are sent in advance. Also, prior to EPI, you shoul

d

identify a facility for use in providing services. During

EPI, you will learn to present the Introductory Session,

which may be conducted in group or individual settings.

All client/couple follow-ups are individual, however,

and require confidentiality.

Advance preparation will allow your supervise

d

practicum to run much more smoothly, better assuring

your ability to obtain the required minimum of six (6)

new clients prior to EPII.

Although there are a minimum number of Introductory

Session presentations required, more may be presented.

Individualized follow-up teaching sessions are

conducted with each client/couple at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12

weeks and also at 6, 9, and 12 months after the initial

Introductory Session. You can anticipate that eac

h

follow-up will last an average of one hour and that time

for preparation and concluding paperwork for a follow-

up may involve up to an additional hour.

A practical time schedule for which you can anticipate

should include:

• studying

• presenting Introductory Sessions

• conducting follow-ups

• preparing and completing office work

• developing program and outreach

• completing assignments

You can expect that you will be involved for a minimu

m

of ten and a maximum of twenty hours per week during

the supervised practica. However, you will be closer to

the minimum amount of time if you come from a

n

established program where client development will no

t

be so difficult.

COURSE TIME, CENTER

AND EQUIPMENT NEEDS

ADVANCE COURSE PREPARATIONS

Your participation as a Creighton Model FertilityCare

System Practitioner Intern in the Pope Paul VI

Institute’s Education program will prove to be a very

rewarding experience. To assist you in your

preparation, please read the following overview of this

program.

The one year educational program to become a

Practitioner is a professional program developed

according to the basic educational principles utilized in

allied health courses. The program is divided into two

education phases (EPI and EPII) held in the fall and

spring. In addition, there are two supervised practica.

The first supervised practicum (SPI) begins at the end

of EPI and continues until the beginning of EPII. The

second supervised practicum (SPII) begins after EPII

and concludes at the time of the final examination in

November of the following year. During the second

supervised practicum, an On-Site Visit is conducted by

your assigned faculty supervisor, for whom the student

is responsible for costs of lodging and round trip

transportation.

The two education phases are designed to be total

immersion learning experiences in order to receive an

appropriate foundation of fundamental theoretical

knowledge, preparing the student to undertake the

clinical component of the course, which is the actual

teaching of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System.

The clinical phases of the course occur during the

supervised practica at the student’s home location.

During the entire year, the student will be working

under the direct supervision of either a FertilityCare

Educator or Supervisor (or Intern) who is specially

trained to provide the type of supervision that a

Practitioner Intern requires.

COURSE SUMMARY

During the supervised practica you will have a number

of assignments to submit to your assigned supervisor

for input, evaluation and grading. For these

assignments, you will need access to photocopying

facilities in order to send copies to your supervisor. In

addition, there are specific client quota requirements for

the two supervised practica.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

It is recommended that an established FertilityCare

Center of America affiliate or a newly develope

d

program that provides the Creighton Model

FertilityCare System collaborate with a Creighton

Model Medical Consultant to provide NaPro Tech-

nology services. This collaboration will be discusse

d

during the course of the program. If a Medical

Consultant is not currently available in your community

and you are aware of a local physician who may

consider the Medical Consultant program, our office

will assist you in the recruitment process.

This program is designed to develop your professional

skills and ability to deliver the highest quality

FertilityCare services possible. If you give attention to

the preliminary aspects of preparation, you will fin

d

your year to be more productive.

NETWORKING WITH A

MEDICAL CONSULTANT

Otherwise, you should anticipate the use of the

maximum amount of time if you need to initiate your

own program development and outreach.

In order to conduct the Introductory Sessions, you will

need the following:

• slide or LCD projector (and laptop) and screen

• room large enough to hold three to six couples

• printed materials that will be provided to you at EPI

for distribution to only those couples who decide to

make an appointment for follow-up and learn the

Creighton Model FertilityCare System

The individualized follow-up sessions can be held in a

smaller room with a desk or table and a few chairs; no

slide projector is necessary for follow-up sessions. All

printed materials will be made available for you to

conduct Introductory Sessions and follow-up sessions.

In addition, phone accessibility will need to be arranged

for clients to contact you.

APPLICATION

CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING MEDICAL CONSULTANT

AND COMBINED PROGRAMS

Please indicate the program for which you are applying:

Medical Consultant (MD or DO only)* (See #51, page 9)

Combined Program:

Medical Consultant/Practitioner Physician Assistant/Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner/Practitioner Nurse Midwife/Practitioner

Auditor (Medical Consultant)

Directions: Fill out application completely. See the last page for mailing instructions and application fees.

Date SS#

1. Name (Print)

Last First Middle

2. Date of Birth Age Sex

3. Home Address

Number and Street (P.O. Box)

City State Zip/Postal Code Country

4. Mailing Address

(If different from home address) Number and Street (P.O. Box)

City State Zip/Postal Code Country

5. Telephone Home Work

(If outside the USA, please indicate country code and city code.)

Home Fax Work Fax

(If outside the USA, please indicate country code and city code.)

6. Email

7. Religion 8. Citizen of

9. Ethnic Origin 10. Your primary language is

11. Do you speak a second Language? Yes No

If yes, please identify language

12. Spouse’s Name (Print)

Last First Middle

13. Number of Children Ages

14. EDUCATION HISTORY: Directions: Give a complete list of all educational institutions which you have attended

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

2

and are currently attending.

NAME OF INSTITUTION LOCATION DATES ATTENDED DIPLOMA INITIALS

High School:

From – To

Trade or Vocational Schools: From - To

College or University: From - To

Graduate or Professional: From - To

Post Graduate or Professional: From - To

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

3

15. OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY: Directions: Give a complete list of occupations beginning with your most recent.

(If never employed outside the home, go directly to question 16).

OCCUPATION/TITLE LOCATION DATES EMPLOYED

a)

Responsibilities:

Full time Part Time Reason for leaving

OCCUPATION/TITLE LOCATION DATES EMPLOYED

b)

Responsibilities:

Full time Part Time Reason for leaving

OCCUPATION/TITLE LOCATION DATES EMPLOYED

c)

Responsibilities:

Full time Part Time Reason for leaving

OCCUPATION/TITLE LOCATION DATES EMPLOYED

d)

Responsibilities:

Full time Part Time Reason for leaving

16. Have you ever been a Homemaker? Yes No

If yes, number of years: Full time Part Time

Reason for leaving

17. Have you ever done volunteer work? Yes No

Specify:

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

4

FAMILY PLANNING INVOLVEMENT

18. Have you worked in any of the following capacities in a Natural Family Planning (NFP) Program?

TITLE YES NO FULL OR PART TIME DATES

From - To

Medical Advisor

Nurse Practitioner

Program Director

Teacher Coordinator

Secretary/Bookkeeper

Consultant

Other

Primarily “paid” or

“volunteer”?

NOTE: If you answered “No” to all portions of #18, skip #19 – 31.

19. Where have the NFP Services been provided?

LOCATION TITLE SPACE RENTED OR DONATED

Private Home

Public Building

Church Premises

Social Agency

Hospital

Independent NFP Center

Public Health Clinic

Public Family Planning Clinic

Other

20. In what method(s) of Natural Family Planning do (did) you commonly provide instruction?

21. What other method(s) of family planning do you (did) you recommend to clients?

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

5

22. Which of the following educational formats do (did) you commonly use?

Introductory Lectures - Group Individual

Follow-up Interviews - Group Individual

Phone Advising/Counseling

Correspondence Counseling

23. Which of the following practices do/did you encourage?

Client continuing with same teacher

Attendance at session(s) by Spouse/partner/fiancé

Conference with other teachers to discuss difficult cases

Referral for medical and/or counseling services when necessary

24. Have you had a physician working with you (at all) in your NFP work? Yes No

If yes, explain the physician’s role.

25. If a physician has worked with you, give name and address of physician.

26. What form of training have you received up to now?

Self-training

Informal training

Semi-formal training

Formal training

27. If informal, semi-formal or formal training received, where and by whom were you trained?

28. What was the duration (in hours or days) of your training?

29. If previously certified, give name(s) of certifying individuals/organization.

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

6

30. How useful has your training been?

Extremely useful Useful Not Sure Little use No Use at All

31. In what areas do you feel your training has fallen short of your needs?

Scientific basis of the method(s)

Psychodynamics of use of the method(s)

Human sexuality

Teaching methodology

In-service training and supervision

Study of use of method(s) in various circumstances (e.g. breast-feeding, off birth control pill)

Study of difficult cases

Other (Please specify):

NOTE: Complete the following sections - even if you have not previously been involved in NFP.

32. How important do you consider the following provider attributes on a scale of 1-4?

1 = Absolutely Not Important 2 = Not Important 3 = Important 4 = Very Important

Female

Female in reproductive years

A Natural Family Planning user-acceptor

A user-acceptor of the NFP method being taught

Married

Married with Children

Well Educated

Well trained in NFP

Confident in NFP

Confident in NFP method being taught

Similar social class background to that of client

Similar age to that of client

Socially acquainted with clients (e.g. same church, same

community)

A medical orientation

A family orientation

Stable in particular vocation

Open to criticism, failure

Non-judgmental/supportive

Friendly/cheerful

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

7

How willing do you consider a provider should be to provide the following, on a scale of 1-4?

1 = Absolutely Not Willing 2 = Not Willing 3 = Willing 4 = Very Willing

Refer for psycho-social counseling (e.g. marriage, family)

Refer for medical problems

Refer for artificial contraceptive methods

Refer for induced abortion

33. Please indicate methods of family planning you have used and the length of use of each. (Indicate if combinations of

methods used. If used for purposes of monitoring fertility only, please indicate as such.)

Current Length of Use

2nd Most Recent Length of Use

3rd Most Recent Length of Use

4th Most Recent Length of Use

34. Satisfaction with use of current method.

1 = Very Unsatisfied 2 = Unsatisfied 3 = Unsure 4 = Satisfied 5 = Very Satisfied

Your own evaluation (one number)

Your spouse’s evaluation (one

number)

35. Confidence with use of current method.

1 = Very Unsatisfied 2 = Unsatisfied 3 = Unsure 4 = Satisfied 5 = Very Satisfied

Your own evaluation (one number)

Your spouse’s evaluation (one

number)

36. Receptivity to an unplanned pregnancy.

1 = Very Unreceptive 2 = Unreceptive 3 = Unsure 4 = Receptive 5 = Very Receptive

Your own evaluation (one number)

Your spouse’s evaluation (one

number)

37. Reason for use of current method.

To Achieve Pregnancy

To Space Pregnancy

To Avoid (Limit) Pregnancy

To Monitor Fertility

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

8

CONFIDENTIAL/PERSONAL INFORMATION

38. In the past five years, have there been any misdemeanor or felony criminal charges brought against Yes No

you? In answering this question, you may disregard most traffic offenses, but you should answer

affirmatively if you have been charged with driving a motor vehicle under the influence of

intoxicating liquor or narcotic substance, regardless of whether that charge was later reduced

to a lesser offense.

39. In the past five years have you lost your board certification, or failed to recertify? Yes No

40. In the past five years, have you ever had any of the following items involuntarily denied, revoked,

suspended, not renewed, placed under probation, subject to disciplinary action or otherwise limited or

curtailed; or have you voluntarily relinquished any item in anticipation of any of these actions; or

are any of these actions pending with respect to any of the following items?

A. State License Yes No

B. DEA registration or other applicable narcotic registration Yes

No

C. Hospital or other health care facility staff membership or privileges Yes No

D. Professional organization membership Yes No

E. Medicare, Medicaid, or other local, state, and/or federal government program participation Yes No

F. HMO, PPO, or other health plan participation Yes No

G. Regulatory agency (CLIA, OSHA, etc.) Yes No

41. Do you have any physical or mental health condition, with or without Yes

No

accommodation, which in any way impairs you capability to practice or in

any way poses a risk of harm to your patients/clients?

42. In the past five years, have you used any illegal drugs? Yes No

If you answered “Yes” to questions 38 – 42, please explain completely on a separate sheet of paper and attach to application.

43. Are you currently free of any illegal drug use? If no, please explain. Yes No

If you answered “No” to question 43, please explain completely on a separate sheet of paper and attach to application.

44. In the past five years, has your professional liability insurance coverage ever been denied or canceled? Yes

No

45. In the last five years, has your current or any previous professional liability carrier ever made an Yes No

out-of-court settlement or paid a judgment of professional liability claim on your behalf?

CODE OF ETHICS

46. The Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant Program is a special program accredited by the American

Academy of FertilityCare Professionals. The Pope Paul VI Institute subscribes to the Academy’s Code of Ethics,

which states:

Principle 1.0 The FertilityCare provider shall respect the dignity and welfare of

each individual with whom he/she is associated in the practice of the profession.

Principle 2.2.1 The FertilityCare provider shall respect and support each individual who

wishes to learn about his or her personal fertility.

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

9

Principle 2.2.2 The FertilityCare provider shall respect and promote the ideal of each

living in harmony and appreciation of their combined fertility.

Principle 2.2.3 The FertilityCare provider shall respect the value and dignity of the unitive and procreative

aspects of the marital coital union and reject any action(s) contrary to this.

Principle 2.2.4 The FertilityCare provider shall reject the use of contraceptives, contraceptive sterilization,

artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, abortion and

abortifacients.

Principle 2.2.5 The FertilityCare provider shall discourage the use of contraceptives,

abortifacients in combination with knowledge of fertility and infertility, and shall

recognize that such practice is not natural family planning.

Principle 2.2.6 The FertilityCare provider shall not promote, advise, condone, or

refer for use of contraceptives, contraceptive sterilization, artificial insemination, in vitro

fertilization, abortion or abortifacients.

47. Do you subscribe to these principles? Yes No

If no, please provide written explanation.

48. Do you currently prescribe contraceptives, contraceptive sterilization, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization,

abortion or abortifacients?

If yes, please provide written explanation. Yes No

49. Do you currently refer for contraceptives, contraceptive sterilization, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization,

abortion or abortifacients?

If yes, please provide written explanation. Yes No

50. Two new organizations, FertilityCare Centers of America and FertilityCare Centers International, have

been introduced. These new organizations are designed to unite Creighton Model FertilityCare Centers nationwide

and worldwide. Please note: any Practitioner or Center must become an affiliate or participate in an affiliated

program to order Creighton Model FertilityCare System teaching materials for client instruction.

It is important for your understanding of this program that you read, sign and date the following:

I understand upon completion of the Pope Paul VI Institute Creighton Model FertilityCare Allied Health

Practitioner Education Program, in order to purchase CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System

teaching materials, I will need to become an affiliate or participate in an affiliated program with

FertilityCare Centers of America or FertilityCare Centers International.

Signature Date

51. ESSAY: Please answer one of the following questions, depending upon the education program for which you are

applying. The answer should be approximately 500 words, using a separate sheet of paper.

Medical Consultant Program *:

Physicians enrolled in the Medical Consultant Program learn medical applications that are specifically related to the

Creighton Model FertilityCare System. It is expected that a Medical Consultant will be working with a FertilityCare

Practitioner in his/or location. If there is no Practitioner available, the Medical Consultant must agree to work toward

identifying someone to become a FertilityCare Practitioner within two years following completion of the Medical

Consultant Program. Otherwise, is it possible for a physician to enroll in the combined Medical

Consultant/Practitioner program. Answer the following essay question in approximately 500 words, using a separate

sheet of paper:

“Why is being a Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant and providing professional NaProTechnology

services important to me?” and “How do I plan to assure that there will be a provider of the Creighton Model

FertilityCare System?”

Copyright 2007 CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Omaha, Nebraska

10

Combined Program:

Answer the following essay question in approximately 500 words, using a separate sheet of paper:

“Why is being a Natural Family Planning Medical Consultant and providing professional NaProTechnology

services important to me?” and “Why is teaching the Creighton Model FertilityCare System important to me?”

(Discuss your motivation for seeking to become a FertilityCare Provider, why you have chosen professional

training in this system and the goals you have set for yourself.)

52. Please attach a recent snapshot of yourself to the front of this application.

53. Have one letter of reference sent under separate cover directly to the Program Director.

Your application will be reviewed when all of the following items have been received.

___1. Completed application and essay

___2. Recent photograph

___3. Application fee - $25.00 (U.S. Funds only)

Mail to: Pope Paul VI Institute

Education Department

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, NE 68106 USA

___4. Arrange for letter of reference, addressed to Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, Program Director.

Mail to: Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, Program Director

Attn: Education Department

Pope Paul VI Institute

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, NE 68106 USA

There will be a $100 late fee assessed for applications received after August 15, 2007. It is important to

submit your application by this date in order to receive the advance information packet in a timely fashion.

No applications will be accepted after September 15, 2007.

Application information will be used for evaluating applicant acceptance, not for treatment purposes. The application

will be kept as part of the Education Program’s academic or continuing education’s records.

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Reproductive Health Care

Experience the . . .Experience the . . .

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Love & Life

Unlimited

Conference

Program Contents

www.popepaulvi.com

Personalist View of Human Sexuality



Humanae Vitae

: Exploring Its Landscape



Donum Vitae

: Companion Piece to

Humanae Vitae



Sapientia

&

Scientia

: Who will see to their marriage?

Of Pillars & Spores: The Genius of Woman

An Introduction to the Theology of the Body



Evangelium Vitae

: Building a Civilization of Love

Expanding Your Sexual Horizons

The Catholic Priest & Celibacy

A Shared Apostolate: Medical Consultants & Catholic

Priests

Becoming Part of the FertilityCare Team

Male & Female Anatomy

Living Proof in 3D: Putting a face on the Unborn

Human Person

Artificial Methods of Contraception

CREIGHTON MODEL FF

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Fertilityertility

ertilityertility

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SySy

System:stem:

stem:stem:

stem: Tools of

Standardization

CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityFertility

FertilityFertility

FertilityCareTM System:System:

System:System:

System:

Introductory Session

The Scientific Foundations of the CREIGHTON MODEL

FertilityFertility

FertilityFertility

FertilityCareTM SystemSystem

SystemSystem

System

and the New Science of

NaProNaPro

NaProNaPro

NaProTECHNOLOGY®

Bringing the Teaching to Life: Summary & Discussion

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NAME _____________________________________________________________

(Print Name and Title/Initials for Nametag)

ADDRESS__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

CITY _____________________STATE/PROVINCE ________ZIP CODE___________

COUNTRY________________________ E-MAIL ___________________________________

DAYTIME PHONE _________________________FAX________________________

ORGANIZATION YOU REPRESENT _______________________________________

TITLE/POSITION ____________________________________________________

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS PROGRAM?______________________________

_____________________________________

FEES

Registration & Materials Fee........... $825

For room, board and hotel fees, please contact the

Pope Paul VI Institute Education Office

Mail or fax completed registration form to:

Pope Paul VI Institute

Education Department

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, NE. 68106

Telephone: (402) 390-9168

Fax: (402) 390-9851

Email: education@popepaulvi.com

Web Site: www.popepaulvi.com

Registration information

can also be taken by phone.

DATES REQUESTED TO ATTEND:

 April 3 – 7, 2006

 October 2 - 6, 2006

 April 16 - 20, 2007

 October 8 - 12, 2007

 April 7 - 11, 2008

 October 6-10, 2008

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Women's

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Care

With faculty supervision, each individual will be asked

to prepare and deliver an original homily (or

presentation), which brings the content of the

conference to life.

Thomas Thomas

Thomas Thomas

Thomas WW

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W. H. H

. H. H

. Hilgers, M.D.ilgers, M.D.

ilgers, M.D.ilgers, M.D.

ilgers, M.D.: Director, Pope Paul VI

Institute for the study of Human Reproduction,

Omaha, Nebraska

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cKenna, M.D., CFCPenna, M.D., CFCP

enna, M.D., CFCPenna, M.D., CFCP

enna, M.D., CFCP

, CNFPMC, CNFPMC

, CNFPMC, CNFPMC

, CNFPMC:

Moderator, Member Board of Directors,

Marguerite Bourgeouys Family Services,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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d, D. Th. M., J.D.Th. M., J.D.

Th. M., J.D.Th. M., J.D.

Th. M., J.D.:

Academic Dean, Associate Professor of Moral

Theology, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary; Director, Paul

VI Pontifical Institute for Catechetical and

Pastoral Studies, St. Louis, Missouri

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irkes, Pkes, P

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kes, Ph.D.h.D.

h.D.h.D.

h.D.: Director, Center

for NaProEthics, Pope Paul VI Institute,

Omaha, Nebraska

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Members of the teaching staff embers of the teaching staff

embers of the teaching staff embers of the teaching staff

embers of the teaching staff of the Pope Paul VI

Institute Education Programs

Upon satisfactory completion of course requirements, aUpon satisfactory completion of course requirements, a

Upon satisfactory completion of course requirements, aUpon satisfactory completion of course requirements, a

Upon satisfactory completion of course requirements, a

CerCer

CerCer

Certificate of Ptificate of P

tificate of Ptificate of P

tificate of Parar

arar

articipation will be issued to theticipation will be issued to the

ticipation will be issued to theticipation will be issued to the

ticipation will be issued to the

participant.participant.

participant.participant.

participant.



. . . promote. . . promote

. . . promote. . . promote

. . . promote the integrated,

Catholic vision of the Pope Paul

VI Institute: a dynamic vision of

reproductive health and health

care services.

. . . ponder. . . ponder

. . . ponder. . . ponder

. . . ponder the truth and beauty

of the Catholic vision of marriage,

family and sexuality.

. . . pr. . . pr

. . . pr. . . pr

. . . proclaimoclaim

oclaimoclaim

oclaim this vision to family,

friends, fellow-parishioners and

colleagues.



Faculty

Pope Paul VI Institute

The Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human

Reproduction is the leading research center in Catholic

reproductive services in the United States. Directed by

Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D., the Institute has attained

national and international recognition for its

achievements in developing a natural method of birth

regulation as well as research in reproductive medicine

and surgery.

The Institute is home to the CREIGHTON MODEL

FertilityFertility

FertilityFertility

FertilityCareTM SystemSystem

SystemSystem

System education technologies, the

National Center for Women's Health, the National

Hormone Laboratory, the newly emerging science of

NaProTECHNOLOGY® (the orderly and systematic

evaluation of the events that occur during the course of

the menstrual and ovulation cycles), and the

Center for NaProEthics.

 Priests and Religious

 Deacons

 Physicians

 Family Life Directors

 RCIA Team Members

 Marriage Preparation Instructors

 NFP Coordinators

 Pro-life Directors

 Other Interested Lay and Religious Educators

This Conference is

Perfect for...

Proclaim the Vision



The Love & Life Unlimited

Conference

will encourage you to . . .

Ponder the Vision

Promote the Vision DatesDates

DatesDates

Dates

Monday morning, April 3, 2006 through

Friday morning, April 7, 2006

Monday morning, October 2, 2006 through

Friday morning, October 6, 2006

Monday morning, April 16, 2007 through

Friday morning, April 20, 2007

Monday morning, October 8, 2007 through

Friday morning, October 12, 2007

Monday morning, April 7, 2008 through

Friday morning, April 7, 2008

Monday morning, October 6, 2008 through

Friday morning, October 10, 2008

LocationLocation

LocationLocation

Location

DoubleTree Suites - Omaha, Nebraska

RegistrationRegistration

RegistrationRegistration

Registration

To make your reservation, please complete and submit

the attached registration form or give us a call. We can

guarantee available space at the conference only by

pre-registration.

A GUIDE TO IDENTIFICATION AND INVESTIGATION

OF FUNDING SOURCES

This paper is to serve as a guide to the identification and investigation of funding sources that may provide

financial support for your involvement in the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare Education Programs offered

by Pope Paul VI Institute. It reviews general categories of resources and avenues of approach to take in

requesting assistance from these sources; especially those successfully utilized by previous students of this

program. GENERAL CATEGORIES

Institutional Support

It is important to understand that your education through the Pope Paul VI Institute CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare

Allied Health Education Program is an investment on the part of any institutional funding source that may support you in

your endeavor to deliver quality FertilityCare services in your community.

Church

Considering the nature of your request, the institutional Church is a logical place to start. Your locale and the extent of

your present involvement in FertilityCare will determine where and with whom you begin your search for support.

Couples/Individuals Receiving Church Support

Couples/Individuals already receiving Church support, whether it be financial or just approval to operate in a specific area

or place, may desire to go first to that individual directly responsible for the support. This might be a Family Life

Director, a Coordinator of Natural Family Planning Services, or the local Ordinary (Archbishop /Bishop or in the case of

non-Catholic churches the President, etc.). In all cases it is important to seek a personal interview and at that time to

discuss the upgrading of services by receiving the highest quality of education now available. Education and Certification

is important not only to you as a teacher, but also to your funding source, as it reflects their commitment to quality

FertilityCare services.

Couples/Individuals Not Presently Receiving Church Support

Couples/Individuals not presently receiving Church support may wish to begin by investigating assistance on the local

church or parish level first. Again, personal interviews should be sought in order to build understanding and gain valuable

assistance in reaching the people who can support you financially.

Whether or not you are already receiving institutional Church support, investigate support on the organizational level as

well. Almost all church bodies have organizations that are not dependent upon the local Ordinary for operation or

decision making, and they can be approached for assistance. These are usually organizations of the laity (e.g. Council of

the Laity, Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus, Ladies Alter Society, the Deanery of local parishes, Serra

Club, etc.), which would be sympathetic and understand how the local community would realize a valuable return on their

investment. If you know people personally who are active in such organizations (either at a parish, chapter, diocesan or

state levels), seek their active assistance in gaining organizational support.

Health and/or Social Agency

Health Center or Social Agency support is probably most viable for those individuals already associated with such

institutions. Those individuals who are investigating a support base for FertilityCare Services in their community should

not overlook this area. Such institutions should be able to recognize that a center cannot operate without trained teachers

and that quality education is essential to providing a professional service that meets the needs of the community and

reflects positively upon the institution. Whether or not you are presently attached to such an institution, seek an interview

with the decision-making person(s) who handles community service projects. This would generally be the Health

Center’s Administrator, Director of Community Services, or the social agency’s Executive Director or Director of

Professional Services. If you are or plan to charge a fee for services, calculate the rate at which you would be able to

Guide for funding 01/23/06

return the institution’s investment in your education. You may find that a large portion of the investment will be returned

within the year that you are in the education process. In this light, education grants are much easier for the institution to

justify in terms of budget considerations.

Foundation Support

Foundations exist for the purpose of supporting financially those projects and/or persons that the foundations deem

worthy of support and meet their stated goals as philanthropic/charitable organizations.

The fact that most foundations receive numerous requests each year should not deter you from investigating them as

funding sources. For your purpose of obtaining a training or educational grant or scholarship, those foundations that are

most likely to help include:

• Those known to consider requests for individual assistance

• Those known to fund principally in your geographic area

• Those moderate in size.

In any case, the person to be approached for a personal interview is the Executive Director or Chairman of the Board of

Trustees. Many foundations, even some with very large expenditures, have only a few members with the decision making

power, and these usually follow the inclinations of the Chairman. Also, the Chairman of the Board is usually very

approachable and interested in new requests, as it is part of his personal dedication to be a caring and concerned

individual.

Because the foundation board may meet only monthly, quarterly, or even semi-annually, it is important that you move

promptly and seek an interview with the individual who may be able to act on certain matters outside of the stated and/or

scheduled process.

Foundation names and addresses, names of the chairman and members of the board, size, interests, and geographic areas

in which funding is principally given can be found in various directories. Foundation source books should be available in

most metropolitan and university libraries.

Military Support

In some cases, a spouse of a military person might receive some financial assistance through the Military Archdiocese.

The active duty military person applying for the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System Allied Health Education

Program should contact Military’s Education Service Office prior to submitting any monies on their own behalf and

apply for the continuing education funding. If approved the military will pay 75% of the tuition only, no books or

materials, or room and board are included in this. The first place to check is with the Education Office on the military

base where you are stationed. If that is not available contact Navy Campus Education Center, Great Lakes, IL 847-688-

5339, Army Education Center, Ft. Riley, KS 785-239-4836 or 5306, or Marine Education Branch MCCDC, Quantico,

VA 703-784-5761, Air Force Education Office at Offutt Air Force Base, 402-294-5716.

Personal Support

Couples/Individuals who find themselves unavailable due to funding sources mentioned above may have to rely on more

personal sources of support such as a gift or loan.

Employer

Many employees have a credit union to which they can turn for signature loans requiring no collateral. Such a loan may

be easily repaid from fees generated through teaching. Banks loans are also possible.

201/23/06 Pope Paul VI Institute Education Department

Physician

Couples/Individuals may wish to investigate support from a physician or group of physicians who could offer financial

assistance in return for having a reliable person(s) to refer patients for FertilityCare Services. If direct financial assistance

is not possible, request their support in approaching institutions (especially Health Centers or Hospitals), foundations,

community groups, or influential citizens who may provide direct assistance when they recognize medical interest and

support. Such a professional relationship, whether based on direct assistance or indirect support, can be extremely

valuable in the development and growth of a program, and it can exist in a variety of locales. ***Be willing to look

beyond physicians of your own religion if necessary to find someone sympathetic to the need for professional

FertilityCare.

Family

Family members and relatives may be able to provide support in the form of a gift or loan. As a professional provider you

will be delivering a service which should involve a fee. It is therefore possible that any personal loan could be guaranteed

by payment received for services provided by you after your training.

FURTHER SUGGESTIONS

Previous students of the Pope Paul VI Institute Education Program have successfully utilized every resource stated above.

The greatest sources of support have, however, been institutional, Church, Hospital – Health Center or Social Agency

support.

Those who have presented themselves and their case directly to the decision-makers have fared better in raising necessary

funds than those who just left it to others to make the requests. Having others go with you (e.g. physician, community

leader, direct supervisor) or write letters of support is better than having them do all the requesting on your behalf.

Those who had alternative suggestions in hand when approaching a funding source also had an advantage. For example,

several previous students approached funding sources for outright expenses but were put off by statements like “the

budget is already complete” or “there isn’t any remaining miscellaneous training or education funds available.” They

didn’t stop with that. Instead, they explored such possibilities as borrowing money out of certain budgetary projects that

could be repaid out of patient fees or borrowing from the next budget year since the program extended into the next

budget year. Having such alternative suggestions accomplishes two things:

• Indicates the seriousness of the intention and motivation of the person requesting funding.

• Encourages discussion of alternatives to obtain the needed support.

If you have funding prospects but feel that you need assistance in developing some alternative ideas in order to gain a

listening posture from decision-makers, please call our office at 402-390-9168 and we will provide any help that we can.

Prepared by

Pope Paul VI Institute

CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare

Education Program

6901 Mercy Road

Omaha, NE 68106

Telephone: 402-390-9168

301/23/06 Pope Paul VI Institute Education Department

38 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005

SPECIAL REPORT

The firestorm ignited in 1968

when Pope Paul VI issued the

encyclical Humanae Vitae, reaf-

firming the Catholic Church’s support

of “responsible parenthood” and her

condemnation of contraception, still

burns brightly today. Now as then the

Holy Father’s teaching is widely

denounced as out of step with modern

science and out of touch with Catholics

in the pews.

Cultural and political clashes center-

ing on the dignity of human life contin-

ue to intensify, as emerging medical

technologies bring a dizzying array of

new products and services to the mar-

ketplace. Frozen storage of human ova,

embryonic stem-cell research, surro-

gate motherhood, and the question of

human cloning make up just part of the

growing list of medically acceptable

but morally objectionable techniques

and practices.

In light of recent developments, the

words of Humanae Vitae are nothing

less than visionary—as if Pope Paul VI

saw it all coming. He acknowledged

the “stupendous progress” of scientific

research while issuing a grave warning

that their new “domination” of the

“forces of nature” was beginning to

degrade the dignity of the very “trans-

mission of life.”

Viewed through the lens of secular

news coverage, public opinion of

Humanae Vitae and other Catholic

thought on issues related to science,

medicine, and morality is overwhelm-

ingly hostile—if, in fact, the Catholic

viewpoint is considered at all. Yet

largely hidden from the mainstream

media there are new signs pointing to a

steady growth in the appreciation of

Catholic teaching. More importantly,

there is a growing record of success in

the application of Catholic thinking to

real-life problems.

This is precisely what Pope Paul VI

AGENTS OF

CHANGE

AGENTS OF

CHANGE

envisioned when, in a little-noticed

section of his life-giving encyclical, he

urged doctors, researchers, and other

medical specialists to “consider as

their proper professional duty the task

of acquiring all the knowledge needed

in this delicate sector, so as to be able

to give to those married persons who

consult them wise counsel and

healthy direction, such as they have a

right to expect.”

Nearly four decades after his con-

troversial encyclical appeared, the

wisdom of Pope Paul’s words and the

fruits of his legacy are on full display,

embodied in a new science of health

care for women that is gaining con-

verts in the United States and around

By Chuck Weber

Dr.Thomas Hilgers stands in front his “Miracle Baby Bulletin

Board,” a display of babies born using the NaPro Technology.

COURTESY OF THE POPE PAUL VI INSTITUTE

A

SMALL BUT DEDICATED

AND GROWING CADRE

OF

C

ATHOLIC HEALTH

-

CARE PROFESSIONALS

IS INTRODUCING AN

EXCITING NEW APPROACH

—

WHICHISBOTH

MORALLY ACCEPTABLE AND

REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL

—

TO THE TREATMENT OF

FERTILITY PROBLEMS

.

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 38

THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005 39

the world. NaPro Technology—

Natural Procreative Technology—rep-

resents today’s definitive Catholic

answer to mainstream human repro-

ductive medical procedures, practices,

and paradigms.

A LIFE’S MISSION

The recently released 1,300-page

medical textbook The Medical &

Surgical Practice of NaPro Technology

(Pope Paul VI Press, 2004) culminates

more than 30 years of research by Dr.

Thomas W. Hilgers, an OB/GYN

physician and founder of the Pope

Paul VI Institute for the Study of

Human Reproduction in Omaha,

Nebraska. Dr. Hilgers is also co-cre-

ator of the Creighton Model

FertilityCare System, a popular method

of natural family planning, fully in

keeping with the teachings of the

Church, which is used by thousands of

couples to achieve or avoid pregnancy;

this system is closely linked to NaPro

Technology.

NaPro Technology applications—

already in use today—extend far

beyond the effective spacing of chil-

dren. Medical and surgical practices of

NaPro Technology effectively treat a

wide range of women’s health issues

including, but not limited to, infertility,

repetitive miscarriages, pre-menstrual

syndrome (PMS), post-partum depres-

sion, and more. Not only are NaPro

Technology approaches morally

acceptable to Catholics, they are at

least as effective, if not more so, than

currently accepted mainstream med-

ical practices.

Inspiration for Hilgers’s ground-

breaking work comes from that rela-

tively obscure section of Humanae Vitae

in which the Pontiff concedes that

many Catholics will find it “difficult, if

not impossible” to abide by the

Church’s teaching regarding artificial

birth control and responsible parent-

hood. His appeal for more scientific

study of the woman’s natural cycle of

fertility and a search for ways to make

Church teaching easier to embrace was

assuredly dismissed by many scien-

tists. But to others, it carried both the

challenge and the encouragement that

suggested divine inspiration.

“From the moment I read the Pope’s

words as a 4th-year med-school stu-

dent, I knew he was speaking directly

to me,” says Dr. Hilgers. On August 6,

the feast of the Transfiguration, in

1978—the date of the death of Pope

Paul VI—he vowed to open the

Institute. Drawing on the insights and

discoveries of human fertility pioneers

like Drs. John and Lyn Billings (co-

founders of the Billings Ovulation

Method), Dr. Hilgers embraced the sci-

entific study of human reproduction as

a personal, professional, and spiritual

challenge.

During the ensuing years and up to

the present day, Hilgers has continued

to lead a counter-cultural medical

movement, with his work standing in

sharp contrast to the widespread

acceptance of license, abortion, sterili-

zation, the Pill, test-tube babies, and

other trends that the Church can only

deplore. These same attitudes and

practices, described and condemned

by Pope John Paul II as the “culture of

death,” fueled the startling rise of a

powerful marketplace within the

multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical

and medical industries. Given the

colossal financial stake that powerful

players exert in maintaining the status

quo, widespread acceptance of alterna-

tives seems unlikely.

Yet at a level just beneath the collec-

tive consciousness of consumers, there

are signs of a frustration with current

approaches to health care that could

eventually boil over: a mounting dis-

satisfaction at the grassroots level with

the way doctors do business—particu-

larly in the area of reproduction.

Working alongside a growing num-

ber of health-care professionals and

some members of the clergy, Hilgers is

convinced that NaPro Technology is a

new, Catholic-centric health science—

fundamentally different from the

accepted norms, yet highly effective,

and at the same time compassionate in

its approach to women. Today the

inherent innovations of NaPro

Technology may well be sparking a

Stephanie and Anthony Epolite, with their daughter

Claire Marie, speak at a NaPro Technology conference.

COURTESY OF THE POPE PAUL VI INSTITUTE

Not only are

NaPro Technology

approaches morally

acceptable to

Catholics, they are

at least as effective

,

if not more so

, than

current accepted

mainstream

medical practices.

■■■

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 39

40 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005

global revolution in health care. If so, it

will be a revolution incited and carried

out most notably by the women and

married couples whose authentic hap-

piness depends upon it.

THE HEARTBREAK OF IVF

“I never dreamed we would be

walking this road to hell.”

That harsh realization struck

Stephanie Epolite and her husband

Anthony like a blow to the head as

they waited uneasily for a child—their

child—to take shape inside the labora-

tory of a Sacramento, California, fertil-

ity clinic in the fall of 1999.

In their late 30s but recently married,

the Epolites had failed repeatedly in

their attempts at conceiving a child in

the months following their wedding

day. Desperate and frustrated, they

sought the advice of a doctor, who

referred them to a local fertility clinic.

Assured by their parish priest that it

was morally acceptable to “do whatev-

er you are comfortable with,” the

Epolites concluded that the Assisted

Reproductive Technology (ART)

industry practice—commonly known

as in vitro fertilization (IVF)—repre-

sented their last, best chance for start-

ing a family.

As practicing attorneys, the Epolites

were familiar with professional con-

sultations. Even so, the initial meeting

at the fertility clinic seemed more

businesslike than what they had antic-

ipated, especially considering the

stakes. There was no talk of diagnos-

ing the causes behind why the couple

couldn’t conceive. “He kept bringing

up my age (nearly 39 at the time) and

said there was really only one option

for us,” Stephanie recalled of the doc-

tor. “That was basically the consult: no

blood samples, diagnostic tests, or

anything else.”

An in-house financial planner dis-

cussed the various “packages” avail-

able for purchase—one cycle of treat-

ment versus two or three. “It was a lit-

tle like buying a car: very structured,”

says Stephanie. She recalls:

Anthony is the numbers guy and dug

into that more. I was just awestruck.

They saw the desperation in my face,

I’m sure they see it all the time. I

guess they figured, “We’ve got two

easy people here,” and they were

right. We were willing to go through

with it.

Their hope rested in a procedure

called IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection

or ICSI-IVF, considered one of the most

radical and invasive of all ART prac-

tices. A lab technician peering through

a microscope injected a single sperm

cell taken from a cup of semen pro-

duced by Anthony into a number of

ova (human eggs) that had been surgi-

cally removed from Stephanie.

Now the couple awaited word to see

if fertilization in the Petri dish would

occur. If signs of life were detected,

they would be summoned back to the

clinic for the final phase of the process,

the transfer of the embryo into

Stephanie’s womb. A steep price had

been paid to get this far—nearly

$25,000 for two cycles of services and

drugs.

The clinical regimen over the previ-

ous two months had been tedious and

emotionally draining. Part of the proto-

col involved Anthony injecting his wife

with multiple, daily doses of drugs at

various points of her body; the injec-

tions were designed to control her fer-

tility cycle. Throughout the process

they kept telling themselves it would

all be worth it if the end result pro-

duced the child of their dreams. And so

they waited expectantly for “the call.”

Like most of the millions of women

and couples in the United States who

have endured ART treatments, the

Epolites found that the call they were

hoping for never came. Doctors from

the clinic were matter-of-fact in assess-

ing the failure. “Basically it was, ‘We’ve

done as much as we can, we can go no

further, so basically, live with it,’ “

remembers Stephanie about being

informed that fertilization failed.

“There was no hope. In fact it was said

that ‘you will probably never have a

family.’ In essence, ‘deal with it.’”

“I felt like it wasn’t meant to be,”

said Stephanie recalling those dark

days. “It was like my body had failed

me, and that I couldn’t do what I was

meant to do. There was an emptiness

inside myself and my heart that could

never be filled.”

BEHIND THE ART CURTAIN

The Epolites experienced firsthand

what most other couples turning to

ART discover sooner or later. Behind

the glowing media reports and the

marketing blitzes that feature satisfied

parents cuddling smiling babies is a

■Dr. Hilger’s textbook,

The Medical & Surgical Practice of NaPro Technology.

■

Women Healed: In Their Own Words,

edited by Jean Blair Packard.

■

Physicians Healed,

edited by Cleta Hartman.

According to the

latest statistics

available from the

CDC, the success

rates for ART

procedures range

from 21 percent to

34.8 percent.

■■■

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 40

THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005 41

deeper, darker truth: assisted repro-

ductive technologies are hardly the

panacea to infertility they are made out

to be.

IVF procedures invariably require

the so-called “selective reduction” of

human embryos—that is, the destruc-

tion of tiny unborn babies—that are

typically produced in clusters, num-

bering as many as six or more at a time.

Because the couples are dealing with

multiple embryos and heavy fertility

treatments, the approach can also yield

unexpected results of another sort; a

startling 35.4 percent of all ART preg-

nancies result in twins, triplets, or

more, according to the latest data pub-

lished by the Centers for Disease

Control (CDC).

Success rates for ART procedures as

defined by the CDC are measured in a

variety of ways, including “pregnan-

cies per cycle” of treatment as well as

“live births” per cycle and other meas-

ures. According to the latest statistics

available from the CDC, the success

rates for ART procedures range from 21

percent to 34.8 percent. But even among

those instances in which ART proce-

dures result in a pregnancy and birth,

there is growing cause for concern.

One large-scale study published in

the New England Journal of Medicine

found that babies conceived through

IVF or ICSI were more than twice as

likely as naturally conceived infants to

have major birth defects (9 percent vs.

4.2 percent), such as problems with the

heart and urinary or genital tracts. A

number of other studies published in

professional medical journals implicate

IVF for significantly higher incidences

of low birth weights, cancer, birth

defects, and other conditions that can

cause developmental problems like

speech impairment.

The response from the ART advo-

cates to these findings, as reflected in

secular media reports, ranges from

mild concern to dismissal. Kathy

Hudson is the director of the Genetics

and Public Policy Center at Johns

Hopkins University in Baltimore and

former assistant director of the

National Human Genome Research

Loome

Dr. Hilgers signing copies of his new textbook.

“From the moment

I read the Pope’s

words as a 4th-year

med-school student,

I knew he was

speaking directly

to me.”

■■■

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 41

42 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005

Institute. In a feature article examining

concerns about ART and its impact on

the health of infants published by

MSNBC.com (the online partner of

Newsweek magazine), Hudson

responds to the troubling studies by

saying: “The risks that do exist, if they

do exist, are rare.”

To date, some 300 studies on the

effects of ART on children have been

completed. A panel that includes mem-

bers from the American Society for

Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), con-

sidered by some to be the leading

advocate of ART in the United States,

and the American Academy of

Pediatrics is now analyzing the avail-

able research.

A SECOND CHANCE

But now, back to the case of

Stephanie and Anthony.

Although unwilling to tolerate

another round of ICSI IVF, the

Epolites were not yet ready to give up

their dream of having a child. In May

of 2001, Stephanie decided to call an

old friend, Nancy Mattieoli, a veteran

instructor of the Creighton Model

FertilityCare system and a Certified

FertilityCare practitioner with an

expertise in NaPro Technology. The

two women had first met a few years

earlier during Stephanie’s engage-

ment when the bride-to-be inquired

about natural family planning meth-

ods as a way to avoid pregnancy. The

focus of their discussion now was

quite different.

Stephanie remembers:

Nancy was someone I felt comfortable

talking with about all we’d been

through. I laid it all out on the line for

her, and I mean everything. I told her

I felt like I’d violated my body, my

religion, and that I felt like a sinner.

She just heard me out and said,

“Okay Stephanie, let’s get back on

track and start charting.” So that’s

what we did.

“Charting” is the foundation of the

Creighton Model FertilityCare system

and the key diagnostic tool of NaPro

Technology. Prospective practitioners

undergo a rigorous training curricu-

lum that, once completed, certifies

them to teach women how to look for

and record changes in their cervical

mucus. These changes, also known as

biomarkers, appear throughout the

course of every woman’s menstrual

cycle. Research shows that changes in

mucus correspond with changing lev-

els of estrogen and progesterone in the

body that cause a woman to ovulate

and menstruate.

Dr. Hilgers refers to the charting of

these biomarkers as a way of reading

“the language of the woman’s body.”

Properly understood and used, this

unique vernacular helps unlock the

secrets of underlying health problems

and points to appropriate treatments.

“This is perhaps the most striking

distinction between mainstream medi-

cine and NaPro Technology,” explains

Hilgers. “Most medical approaches

today bypass the woman’s problem or

simply override her natural processes

altogether. With NaPro, we find out

why the body isn’t functioning correct-

ly, then apply treatments that work

cooperatively with the body.”

Once basic problems are diagnosed,

NaPro physicians can utilize a range of

cutting-edge medical and surgical

practices, which are described in

Hilgers’ new medical textbook, to

restore the natural process of the

woman’s body to its proper function.

Thanks to this almost obsessive focus

on diagnosing and curing underlying

health concerns, Dr. Hilgers has docu-

mented important advances in treating

endometriosis, polycystic ovarian dis-

ease, blocked fallopian tubes and hor-

monal disorders—all common condi-

tions that can contribute to infertility

and other problems.

“WE’RE IN GOD’S PLACE”

Couples like Stephanie and Anthony

Epolite include another element when

they describe the NaPro Technology

approach to health care: compassion.

Stephanie remembers:

When we walked through the doors

of the Pope Paul VI Institute and met

that first staff person, I told myself,

“We’re in God’s place.” Everyone

treated us with respect, kindness,

compassion, and love. When I finally

met Dr. Hilgers in person, I told him

we were in the right place and he was

one of God’s messengers.

It was July of 2001, and the Epolites

were in Omaha, daring once again to

believe that their dream of having a

child might be within reach. Under the

direction and encouragement of Nancy

Mattieoli and a Sacramento physician,

Dr. John Gisla, the couple had faithful-

ly charted Stephanie’s cycle for months

before sending the data to Dr. Hilgers

along with a letter asking if he would

consider taking their case.

Dr. Hilgers’s reply in January of that

year outlined the protocol that would

be involved if they wanted to move

forward, and the couple readily

agreed. Based on a reading of the

charts, Stephanie’s blood was drawn

on targeted days and shipped to the

Institute’s hormone lab for analysis.

After multiple long-distance phone

discussions—and a word of caution

from Dr. Hilgers that there are no guar-

antees for success—he agreed to take

their case and the Epolites flew to

Omaha.

In Nebraska, Dr. Hilgers immediate-

ly conducted diagnostic procedures on

“It was a little like

buying a car: very

structured.”

■■■

It is one and-a-half

to three times more

successful than

in vitro

fertilization

at helping infertile

couples have

children—at a

fraction of the cost.

■■■

The per capita rate

of hysterectomies

in the United States

is three to four

times as high as in

European countries.

■■■

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THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005 43

Stephanie and Anthony. Those tests

confirmed that she suffered from

endometriosis and blocked fallopian

tubes, while his sperm count was unac-

ceptably low. (Unlike typical practi-

tioners of assisted reproduction, the

Pope Paul VI Institute has developed a

technique for collecting semen during

natural intercourse, so that the process

does not violate the chastity of the man

or the integrity of the marital act.)

During a two-week stay in Omaha,

NaPro surgical procedures were per-

formed on Stephanie, and a high-

potency nutritional supplement was

prescribed for Anthony. As they board-

ed the flight home, the couple’s hopes

were high that they would be able to

conceive. They also sensed a new inner

peace, knowing they had done all they

could. Now, they decided, it was time

for prayer and trust.

A LEAP OF FAITH—

AND A SURPRISE

The weeks that followed were more

difficult than the Epolites had imag-

ined. Dr. Hilgers had repeatedly cau-

tioned them not to expect instant

results, but with each passing month,

as they saw no visible results, the cou-

ple grew more discouraged.

“At one point I think I had con-

vinced myself that I was experiencing

symptoms of being pregnant,” recalls

Stephanie. “Then when my period

came, I just threw myself down on the

floor and shouted out, ‘God, I can’t do

this any longer! You’ve taken a strong

woman and you broke her down.’”

Anthony consoled his wife as best he

could, and reminded her that they had

agreed to make a leap of faith. “We said

we were going to rely on God,” he said.

“Let’s trust him.”

That trust was put to the test when

the Epolites were asked to share their

IVF experiences with representatives

attending the annual meeting of the

California Natural Family Planning

Conference in March of 2002. They

reluctantly agreed.

Conference attendees got more than

they bargained for when, at the end of

their prepared 30-minute presentation,

Stephanie and Anthony made a dra-

matic announcement: she was seven

weeks pregnant. Tears flowed freely

during the extended standing ovation

that followed. The journey to parent-

hood that Anthony describes as one of

“faith, endurance, heartbreak, and

love” culminated on October 31, 2002

at 9:17 pm with the birth of their

daughter, Claire Marie Epolite.

INTRODUCING A NEW

TECHNOLOGY TO THE WORLD

NaPro Technology’s application to

the problem of infertility is perhaps the

most captivating use of the emerging

new approach to women’s health

undertaken by Catholic practitioners,

but it is hardly the only one.

During a landmark conference in

July of 2004 in Dr. Hilgers’ home town

of Omaha, Nebraska, more than 400

physicians, pharmacists, practitioners,

and patients from the United States

and around the world gathered to

learn more about NaPro Technology’s

many breakthroughs, and to share

their stories.

The conference theme: “Introducing

NaPro Technology to the World,” fea-

tured a series of emotional, first-person

testimonials from women and cou-

ples—including Stephanie and

Anthony Epolite—who described how

their various conditions were diag-

nosed and successfully treated using

NaPro Technology. For example:

• A home-schooling mother of eight

and the wife of an FBI agent,

Debra Brock of Liberty Township,

Ohio, spoke of her bouts with

severe depression (including

thoughts of suicide) while

struggling with premenstrual

syndrome (PMS). Brock had been

successfully treated previously at

the Institute for recurrent miscar-

riages, and during an otherwise

routine follow-up phone conversa-

tion mentioned her depression. At

the request of a nurse, she sent in

a blood sample and it was quickly

determined that her hormones

were at one-third the normal level.

After receiving treatment she was

“given her life back.”

• Abby Bredemeyer was a 19-year-

old college student whose severe

Denys and Gabrielle Tims and 3-day-old Baby Dionne, at Sligo General hospital,

County Sligo, Ireland. The Tims received NaPro care in Ireland.

JAMES CONNOLLY/GREENGRAPH

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 43

44 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005

pelvic pain and cramps

during menstruation

forced her to spend

several days a month

curled up in pain. She

had been offered two

options: painkillers and

the birth-control pill,

which only slightly

relieved the symptoms.

Her parents recalled a

presentation Dr.

Hilgers’s wife Sue had

given years earlier and

decided to call the

Institute. After the first

appointment Abby

ceased taking the Pill

and started charting.

That led to Dr. Hilgers’

diagnosis of

endometriosis: the core

cause of monthly ago-

nies. She had surgery,

and her problems all

but ended.

• “Women do not have to

accept post-partum

depression as a part of

pregnancy,” declared

Estelle Nigro, the mother of three

boys. For the first time ever, she

publicly shared the impact of her

own post-partum depression

before the hushed audience: her

feelings of shame, embarrassment

and perhaps worst of all, the hor-

rific feeling that motherhood was

a colossal mistake. This was any-

thing but the normal “baby

blues.” Doctors prescribed anti-

depressants and assured her the

feelings were “common”—a

patronizing diagnosis that made

her feel even worse. Fortunately

she sought the help of Dr.

Hilgers—who, far from dismiss-

ing or trivializing her concerns,

recognized the totality of the situ-

ation and its impact upon her per-

sonal emotional health, her chil-

dren, and her marriage. Her

NaPro Technology treatment pro-

tocol included regular doses of

progesterone that led to the

resumption of a normal, happy

life as wife and mother.

• After six painful, emotionally

traumatic miscarriages, Dennis

and Debbie Lutgen of Beloit,

Kansas, had all but accepted their

fate as a childless couple. Even

when they were convinced to call

the Pope Paul VI Institute and set

an appointment with Dr. Hilgers,

they were philosophical about

their chances. “At our initial con-

sultation I told Dr. Hilgers that I

didn’t know if we needed to be

talking to him,” recalls Debbie,

continuing:

We believed so strongly that if God

wants you to have children, he will

give them to you. Dr. Hilgers just

looked at me and said, “If you have a

clogged sink, are you just going to

pray about it—or are you going to call

a plumber?” He explained that he is

not playing God, he’s just being used

to bring about God’s plan.

The Lutgens then introduced little

David and Amy to the delighted gath-

ering: two more NaPro Technology

“miracle babies.”

NAPRO BREAKTHROUGHS

During the Omaha conference and in

a series of medical conferences across

the country in the months that fol-

lowed, Dr. Hilgers has re-doubled his

efforts to spread the NaPro Technology

message. Publication of the medical

textbook marked a significant turning

point. Now he was able to offer scien-

tific documentation to support the per-

sonal testimonies and anecdotal evi-

dence that had been quietly circulating

for years.

Among NaPro Technology’s many

breakthroughs, described in the text-

book, are:

• It is one and-a-half to three times

more successful than in vitro

fertilization at helping infertile

couples have children—at a

fraction of the cost.

• It is 79 percent effective at helping

women have a successful preg-

nancy after they have suffered

repeated miscarriages.

• It can help women learn they are

at risk for a miscarriage even

before one has occurred.

• It is 95 percent effective at treat-

ing pre-menstrual syndrome

(PMS), a condition that plagues

millions of American women

each month.

• It is also 95 percent effective at

treating post-partum depression,

often achieving results within

hours to ease a condition that

afflicts as many as one in five

new mothers.

• It cuts the rate of premature birth

nearly in half—thus helping to

reduce the incidence

of birth-related injury.

• It allows for the accurate dating

of the beginning of pregnancy,

thus helping to avoid some end-

of-pregnancy complications.

• It effectively treats chronic pelvic

pain, and it reduces the hysterec-

tomy rate by a remarkable 75

percent.

Not only is the NaPro Technology

approach more effective at getting

desired results, it has many important,

beneficial “side effects” as well:

• By helping patients conceive nat-

urally, the pitfalls of IVF like mul-

tiple births and the high inci-

dences of birth defects are avoid-

Dr. Hilgers presenting his new medical

textbook to Pope John Paul.

Three “miracle babies” from the same family.

(From left) Steffan, Rile, and Johannes Sales.

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 44

THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005 45

ed. The multiple-pregnancy rate

of NaPro Technology is just 3.2

percent, far lower than IVF/ART

pregnancies.

• NaPro Technology helps avoid

unnecessary surgeries. To cite just

one example, rather than treating

a woman’s underlying problems,

many doctors today will order a

hysterectomy, preferring simply

to remove the woman’s reproduc-

tive organs. The per capita rate of

hysterectomies in the United

States is three to four times as

high as in European countries.

Although studies show that the

complication rate for hysterecto-

my is very low, research has

linked the surgery to other subse-

quent problems, such as depres-

sion, sexual dysfunction, weight

gain, high blood pressure, and

premature menopause.

• The habit of daily observation by

the woman—a practice that takes

only half a minute, several times

a day—helps her catch the early

signs of other potential health

problems, including some can-

cers, assuring her a higher rate

of recovery.

• As a means of avoiding pregnancy,

the Creighton Model FertilityCare

System is highly effective. A study

published in the June 1998 issue of

the Journal of Reproductive Medicine

found its perfect-use effectiveness

to be 99.5 percent and its method

effectiveness to be an impressive

96.8 percent. This compares favor-

ably to the success rates of the

birth-control pill, of which Planned

Parenthood’s web site states: “Of

100 women who use the Pill, only

eight will become pregnant during

the first year of typical use.”

It is well worth noting that the nat-

ural solutions advocated by Dr.

Hilgers are what people really

want. Several anecdotal bits of

information point to that reality.

According to a study conducted by

City University, London, couples

who conceive through IVF are far

less likely to tell their children of

their true origin than parents who

adopt—perhaps an indication that

the parents are not proud of the

IVF procedure. Women who use

the birth-control pill as a means of

avoiding pregnancy are more than

twice as likely to discontinue that

approach as women who use the

Creighton Model FertilityCare sys-

tem. And Creighton Model users

report higher levels of self-esteem,

spiritual well being, and sexual

intimacy than do users of the

birth-control pill.

TECHNOLOGY AT

A CROSSROADS

The ability to transform NaPro

Technology from a closely held,

“niche market” approach to women’s

health care into a widespread, com-

mercially viable alternative to conven-

tional medical approaches depends on

many factors.

The various beneficiaries of NaPro

Technology, no matter what their

medical conditions may have been,

share one sentiment that crops up so

frequently that it is almost eerie. They

all say, in virtually the same words:

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this

before?”

Like many new products or services,

NaPro Technology competes against

well-financed options that are already

firmly entrenched in the marketplace

and in the political arena. The

American Society for Reproductive

Medicine maintains a fully staffed

Office of Public Affairs in Washington,

DC, and an elaborate web site stocked

with readily available research papers,

news headlines, and other resources.

Sponsorship for a single event like the

“Gala Reception” at the group’s annu-

al meeting carries a $225,000 price tag.

In contrast, marketing and publicity

resources for the 165 FertilityCare

Centers that serve as the primary

source of NaPro Technology services in

the United States and around the

world are far more modest. The

American Academy of FertilityCare

Professionals, the education and certi-

fication group that supports NaPro

Technology and sponsors an annual

conference like the one in Omaha last

July, is grateful that individual donors

step up to provide a morning coffee bar

for attendees.

By its very nature, the NaPro

Technology approach to medicine and

Dr. Philip Boyle, an Irish practitioner of NaPro Technology, Dr. Hilgers,

and the Epolites at a panel discussion of the health care process.

Conference

attendees got more

than they bargained

for when, at the end

of their prepared

30-minute

presentation,

Stephanie and

Anthony made

a dramatic

announcement.

■■■

CWR0405 SpReport-2 3/29/05 11:00 PM Page 45

46 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005

reproductive health is unlikely ever to

generate the kind of massive support

infrastructure currently enjoyed by the

ART industry. But NaPro Technology

advocates are far from discouraged;

they are simply seeking out more cre-

ative, cost-effective ways of spreading

their message.

Last summer, Dr. Hilgers commis-

sioned a new Catholic non-profit com-

munications group composed of for-

mer secular news professionals to pro-

duce a Video News Release (VNR) to

coincide with the annual conference

and publication of the medical text-

book. The VNR featured the story of

the Epolites journey from failed IVF to

parenthood with NaPro Technology.

An audience tracking service con-

firmed that the story had aired on

newscasts in more than a dozen major

markets, reaching an estimated 3 mil-

lion households, generating new calls

and email messages to local NaPro

Technology providers.

That same group is now developing

a series of education and marketing

videos explaining NaPro Technology,

as told through the personal experi-

ences of women and couples who have

benefited. A feature-length documen-

tary about the history and work of the

Pope Paul VI Institute is also under

development.

The Institute received hundreds of

email messages and phone calls after

Dr. Hilgers appeared on “The World

Over” with Raymond Arroyo on

Eternal Word Television Network

(EWTN) last August. “We always

know when they replay that show,”

says Dr. Hilgers of his EWTN appear-

ance. “The next morning our email box

is overflowing.”

Support for the Pope Paul VI

Institute and NaPro Technology within

the Catholic Church is apparent on a

number of levels. For several years

now, the Institute has received a

$50,000 annual contribution from the

Vatican—“my check from the Pope,”

says Dr. Hilgers with a smile. He pre-

sented the Holy Father with an

advance copy of his new medical text-

book last year.

Beyond monetary support, Pope

John Paul II has continued to support

the work of the Institute in other ways.

Cardinal John Francis Stafford, former

president of the Pontifical Council of

the Laity (and currently director of the

Apostolic Penitentiary in Vatican City)

repeatedly reminded attendees of the

conference in Omaha he had come “at

the explicit request” of the Holy Father

to recognize the efforts of Dr. Hilgers

and reaffirm the message of Humanae

Vitae. The cardinal also stunned his

audience with a stinging rebuke of con-

temporary sexual norms, mocking the

kind of language heard all too often at

the local mall or on MTV. His voice ris-

ing, Cardinal Stafford said:

Humanae Vitae involves a radical cri-

tique of the misuses of technology.

Such abuses ravage the creative tiny

sparks of life and contaminate the

springs of love in communion—life,

contaminated, and also, by the misuse

of technology, love, and communion,

violated. Studies and attitudes toward

dating today report on the growing

trends toward “hook ups.” Railroad

cars “hook up.” Ships and planes

sometimes “hook up” for re-fueling

purposes. Now, in a technologically

dominated culture, “hook ups” are

perceived as human relationships,

inspired by a mutual, and seemingly

unromantic desire to take care of sex-

ual urges without the complications

of love or romance.

In bringing forth NaPro Technology,

the Pope Paul VI Institute has reaf-

firmed the original meaning of tech-

nology. It is to be life-giving, in the

Greek sense. It is to be creative and

life-enhancing. This creative use of

technology is in service to human

subject, in service—not exploiting it,

and is a direct response to the appeal

of the Pope. It represents a turning

point in the century.

LINGERING QUESTIONS

History will judge whether or not

Cardinal Stafford went overboard with

his glowing endorsement of NaPro

Technology. But for all its benefits,

numerous questions about the

approach still remain. Can the secular

reproductive-medicine community be

persuaded to embrace—or at the very

least to acknowledge—this new

approach as a legitimate alternative to

current practices? To date the answer

to that question has been No. A

spokesman from the American Society

of Reproductive Medicine declined

comment on the topic, saying, “We

tend to just ignore these people.”

Requests for comment from another

ART advocacy group, RESOLVE, were

similarly met with silence.

There are other challenges, including

the recruitment and training of proper-

ly certified physicians. A fellowship

program at the Institute, in which doc-

tors come to Omaha to live and train

under Dr. Hilgers, has a rocky history.

“It’s a sacrifice for them,” admits Dr.

Hilgers when asked about doctors who

consider the fellowship program. He

explains the difficulties:

Many of them are sympathetic to

what we’re doing, but they’ve got

thriving practices back home and

families to support. It’s a tough call.

There’s also a lot of pressure from

their peers to view NaPro

Technology as some sort of oddball

kind of medicine because they didn’t

learn about it in med school.

Surprisingly enough, some of the

most successful NaPro Technology

physicians practicing today live and

work outside the United States. Dr.

Philip Boyle is a certified Fertility-

Care educator and practitioner in

Galway, Ireland, who began using

NaProTechnology in 1998. Since then

Baby Kenneth with Anne Marie and

Gabriel Downes. Kenneth was the

first NaPro baby in Ireland, Born on

July 29, 1997, in County Mayo.

Can the secular

reproductive-medi-

cine community be

persuaded to

embrace—or at the

very least to

acknowledge

—this

new approach?

■■■

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THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, April 2005 47

he has founded more than 30

FertilityCare centers in Ireland and has

helped 95 couples achieve 123 concep-

tions. NaPro Technology practitioners

can be found in 13 countries besides

the United States, with a total of 165

FertilityCare Centers worldwide locat-

ed in hospitals, diocesan natural fami-

ly-planning offices, and stand-alone

clinics.

Some members of the Catholic cler-

gy are also playing an increasingly

active role in learning about and pro-

moting NaPro Technology. The “Love

& Life Unlimited” conferences spon-

sored by the Pope Paul VI Institute are

designed to give priests, deacons, and

lay religious leaders an opportunity to

“ponder, promote, and proclaim” the

Catholic vision of marriage and sexu-

ality.

Father Edward J. Richard is the aca-

demic dean at Kendrick Glennon

Seminary in St. Louis, who serves as a

member of the Love & Life Unlimited

faculty. “Once the priests come and

find out what this is all about, they can

return to their parishes with a real

grasp of what the Church teaches

about sexuality,” he says. “It also

affirms and enforces the beauty and

meaning of their own calling and com-

mitment to celibacy.”

As NaPro Technology advocates

work to bring this new reproductive

science into the lives of mainstream

Catholics, the most crucial unknown is

whether women and couples will actu-

ally take the time to explore all the

options available to them—including

NaPro Technology—as they address

their own reproductive-health issues.

Ultimately, answers to these and

other questions about the long-term

success of NaPro Technology depend

upon the merits of this new women’s

health science. Does it work? Is it bet-

ter? If NaPro Technology is in fact a

superior health care alternative, grass-

roots demand for it from both Catholic

and non-Catholic consumers, and in

the marketplace of scientific and med-

ical ideas will be the driving force.

Only then, as an aging but visionary

Pontiff said so many years ago, would

couples enjoy the “wise and healthy

direction, such as they have a right to

expect.” ■

CHUCK WEBER is the executive

director of SaintMax Worldwide

(www.saintmaxworldwide.org),

a Catholic non-profit communications

company. Peter McFadden also

contributed to this article.

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