Contraceptive Education at CDPH

Ever since completing OB class and clinical last fall, I have known that I want to work in women's health. I was fortunate enough this summer to intern on a labor & delivery unit, and was very excited to find out that my Capstone was in a reproductive health clinic. While at the clinic we mostly work with patients coming in for STI testing and treatment, we are funded for providing certain birth control, as well. I enjoy teaching women of all ages about the different contraception options they may be interested in, as well as counseling them on their final choice. Not surprisingly, the main focus of our Capstone project has been about reproductive health, primarily in the teenage population.
One component of said project was the creation of a bulletin board geared towards adolescents about long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), specifically intra-uterine devices (ParaGard and Mirena), "the implant" (Implanon), and "the shot" (DepoProvera). While another member of my group served as the creative genius behind the aesthetic design of the board, I appreciated taking part in researching the content. Though at the time I was pretty familiar with how each contraception method worked, I was able to apply my nursing skills even further when helping to create the patient information sheets. Especially because our target population is so young, we had to rephrase or explain all the medical terminology and word all the educational components in a manner that would be understandable by teens. The bulletin board is now complete and serves as an eye-catching attraction in the waiting room of the clinic.
The biggest part of our Capstone was a Halloween party to teach teenagers about reproductive health. At the party were booths, each with a different theme. I gladly created an interactive way to teach teenage girls about their options of birth control. The participants took turns pulling a model of a contraceptive out of a bag; with each one, they told the group what they knew about it, and I filled in the rest. At this time, I was also able to dispel any myths about different kinds of contraception and counsel on the impact of each kind of contraception on one's life. Teaching these young teens about something I am very passionate about was so fulfilling. I was happy to see their faces light up when they learned something new or made a new insight.
As we are coming to an end of our Capstone experience here at the Cleveland Department of Public Health,  I am able to look back fondly at the differences I have made in others and the knowledge and wisdom I have gained from them, too.