Public Health and birth control

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Can you be a public health nurse and not have to give out birth control (morning after pill especially)?

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Can you be a public health nurse and not have to give out birth control (morning after pill especially)?

you wouldn't directly administer it...but would likely, provide resources as to where the pt could get it.

here's some general information about public health nsg.

ExploreHealthCareers.org: Career Overview - Public Health Nurse

leslie

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Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

Part of being a public health nurse is being accepting of different points of view. If you can't philosophically handle giving out any form of birth control or emergency contraception, then it will be difficult for you to practice as a public health nurse. These forms of contraception are legal and available to all women through public health departments. If all parts of public health nursing appeal to except for that aspect, perhaps you could explore working at a Catholic charity hospital or clinic. Good luck!

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Are there some strong religious objections? If you are pro life ( I am ), I would have difficulty understanding why you would not at the minimum be a staunch supporter of safer sex techniques, including oral contraception preventative agents.

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Specializes in Gyn/STD clinic tech.

gilarn~

i would give you 10,000 kudos if i could! i think the common ground we share, i am pro choice, is the staunch support of safer sex techniques, contraceptive awareness, and self awareness.

i work for a health department prn, and i will say that contraceptive counseling and giving patients their baggies of pills/patches/rings/etc, are involved. we also give worksheets about their method, which explains what to do if there is a mishap. we (health department) also put condoms and a plan b pack in their baggie.

std testing is also a major issue that is seen.

women's health as well as public health is a big deal to me :)

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Yeah I guess it depends on what someone's opinion of the morning after pill is, I consider it to be a very early abortion and not the same thing as using a condom or taking the birth control pill so I would not be comfortable supporting that in any way

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Do the public a favor and do not place yourself in a position where you cannot give patients the care and services they desire separate from your own feelings and beliefs. Women do not need yet another healthcare provider refusing to give or refer them to emergency contraception so they possibly end up having to have an abortion as a result of a decision that was forced on them because of your personal beliefs.

This is about meeting the patient's needs, not yours. If you can't do the job 100% with whatever the patient wants done then please let the job go to someone who can do it.

If you want to practice certain belief systems, then IMHO there are places in nursing where it's just not appropriate for you to work.

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That was rude

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That was rude
I didn't find it rude, just blunt. Blunt is OK by me.
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That was rude

So it's rude to advocate for the patients needs, their access to the care of their choice? Seriously?

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Specializes in Gyn/STD clinic tech.

jaymar23~

in nursing school we learn pharmacology. we become educated regarding the use, action, interactions, etc, of various drugs.

one thing to keep in mind is that plan b, the morning after pill, is the very same hormone used in regular bc pills. we also learned that plan b, when taken after ovulation, was essentially ineffective. there was a study our teacher cited, it was from 2006 i believe.

if you feel that you cannot perform the essential duties of a particular job, then it is in the best interest of the public and yourself that you consider choosing another field.

we often have women come in after a condom break. they do request plan b at times, but many uneducated women are not aware of 'emergency contraception', so the information and education regarding that option is key. we also offer free std testing, so that is a issue we discuss as well. we see many women who have families in poverty, on long term government assistance, etc.. education and nonjudgmental discussion helps these women.

i am a married woman, due to personal illness i cannot use hormonal bc, so before i had my copper iud inserted i used condoms each and every time.

when i had a condom break, i was truly lucky that i had a personal physician who treated me with respect and dignity. sadly, not all women have access to dignified, non judgmental health care.

this is what gave me a desire to work in public health/women's health care... because it did happen to 'me', because i know what it is like.

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First, I don't know of many healthcare providers if any, that would really prevent a women from getting an abortion, Plan B, contraception. If one doctor says no you can definately find one that will say yes (the exception being if it were a very late term abortion possibly).

Second JayMAR was asking a question-she/he was not saying she/he was going to be a Public Health Nurse and purposely deny these services to women.

While I beleive it is unethical to impose your personal beliefs on a patient, I wouldn't go so far as to say practicing some belief systems precludes you from certain areas of nursing necessarily.

Jaymar, you should ask public health nurses whom you trust and always follow your gut. you know what feels right and doesn't. If you can't hand out Plan B and that is absolutely part of the job then don't. I was under the impression Plan B had to be prescribed by a doctor in the first place so I would guess (I don't know) that you wouldn't be directly responsible for them getting it, just providing information. And either way it is always the patient's decision.

June bug I'm curious how does this work in your case?

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