On average how many pregnant students do you have per year?
Last year I had 13 (2-3 carried over to this year)
This year I have 7.
Since the state does not mandate that high school needs a 1/2 credit for health anymore we have no sex ed on campus. I'm not sure that would help since I have not really since an increase in pregnancies since we do not have health class any more. I do my best to educate when I can. This area has always frustrated me since I believe abstinence is the best contraceptive there is, however I have expanded my thinking and educate on safe sex. I try to use shocking stories to get my point across, but I really don't know effective that is.
We recently had a lecture in school about how to get through to the adolescent brain.
Basically, they said that teens have less dopamine overall than adults, but novel/pleasurable experiences lead to relatively higher dopamine releases. This is why teens may be more impulsive and/or susceptible to addiction.
They also talked about the related idea of teens having "hyper-rationality", meaning that they know the risks (unwanted pregnancy, STDs), but they rationalize that it isn't going to happen to them (don't most teens think they are invincible?). They place far more emphasis on the potential positive outcomes than the potential negative ones.
I'm sure none of that is news to anybody who works with teens on a regular basis!
Anyway, the instructor went on to say that this is why strategies like "shock stories" and "teen pregnancy stats" don't work that well. What has been shown to be more effective is social factors - "Less than half of teen girls are having sex, and its a lot less popular than it used to be" (source).
Anyway, just thought that it was interesting. :)
So much truth here. I don't use shock statistics or any photos of STIs in my class - it just doesn't work. It is true that less than 50% of high school students have had sex - and that is something they can relate to.
Another stat that hits hard for my high school students is that 1 in 4 new HIV infections occurs to a person under the age of 24. Not a shock story at all, but an interesting fact.
I do a lot of advice scenarios, asking students what they would do in that situation or what advice they would offer a teen in that situation vs putting them in that situation themselves because as it is stated below no teenager thinks that they will be in that position ever!
I work in a high school that has less than 300 kids. I had one pregnant student that went to term last year. And I've known of several who have gotten abortions. I try to educate about safe sex and have several resources for free/reduced cost birth control and STI testing. I also have condoms in my office that I received free from public health. I don't work in a private school, and I don't work in a state that mandates abstinence only education so I'm going to use my position to educate as best I can because I know that a lot fo theses kids aren't getting the education and resources they need to make smart decisions at home.
We all know the only sure way to prevent pregnancy in teens is abstinence. However, abstinence only education will NEVER work to prevent teen pregnancy. Teens need to know how their bodies work, and why they get the urges they get. They need to understand more than "just don't do it"..
Unfortunately, in many states.. the powers that be dictate sex education and don't allow TRUE education. Preaching abstinence is not education. JMHO
Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
If I remember my high school, they had a mandated health class for freshman (Which I didn't take for unknown reasons and had to take in my Junior year.) and IIRC they did tell us about being safe and showing us how to use condoms and stuff like that.
This school I work at which has middle school, I don't think they have a sex ed class.
Well, I'm in a nice size city and I'm in an inner city school. At my school alone there are at least 5 girls who are currently pregnant and that's just the one's I know of. I'm sure there are more. There are 4 who have had babies since the start of this school year. Again, just the one's I know of. There are at least 7 who are mothers attending school. Again, just the one's I know of.
This does not include the high amount of girls who come to me each week asking if I give pregnancy tests which of course I can't and many are way too scared to tell their parent and can't get access to a test.
This is a very huge, huge problem where I'm at. I'm in a 9-12 school of close to 1100 students.
There are about 5 high schools in my district. We are all inner city schools. The other nurses see quite a few.
As a matter of fact they are looking into starting a teenage mom program where moms can bring their babies to school. They will really work with the girls to keep them in school, and help them become successful in life after high school.
We need more education base programs too to help prevent this.
Sad, thing is so many of these girls are doing it because they are looking for love in all the wrong ways because they are not getting it at home. So, so sad. That is not always 100% of the case because even girls who have all the love at home, and come from good homes with 2 parents can still end up pregnant at a young age. I know I end up pregnant at 17. Came from a 2 parent home full of love and had mostly everything.
I have seen a lot of stuff working as a high school nurse. I really would like to create a program for teenage girls. Something, I'm heavily thinking about.
JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN
3,035 Posts
So much truth here. I don't use shock statistics or any photos of STIs in my class - it just doesn't work. It is true that less than 50% of high school students have had sex - and that is something they can relate to.
Another stat that hits hard for my high school students is that 1 in 4 new HIV infections occurs to a person under the age of 24. Not a shock story at all, but an interesting fact.
I do a lot of advice scenarios, asking students what they would do in that situation or what advice they would offer a teen in that situation vs putting them in that situation themselves because as it is stated below no teenager thinks that they will be in that position ever!