Nursing School Students Teach Middle Schoolers About Health, Sex
AURORA (CBS4) - Students with the University of Colorado College of Nursing are taking on a new role in the classroom: teaching. The organization is teaming up with Aurora Public Schools to get health and sex education to middle school students.
Sarah Price is among the students participating. On Tuesday she gave a lesson at Aurora Frontier Middle School.
"Today we are going to talk about dating and relationships," she told the students.
"We make it clear that we get questions up here every single day at the hospital, so anything they ask we have heard it before," she said.
Price will graduate from the CU College of Nursing next month, and sharing her newfound medical knowledge with young people is helping her get the clinical hours needed to get there.
Sarah Coleman is the health education coordinator at Aurora Public Schools. She helped launch the program that is turning students into teachers.
"These nursing students know their stuff and so when they come in and they teach health education topics they are aware of newest trends they are aware of research that backs information they give," Coleman said.
In addition to the knowledge nursing students bring to the classroom, Coleman says they give these preteens an adult they can relate better with who isn't their teacher.
"They have someone in front of them who is young and has experience. They are not that far out of school in a lot of cases," she said.
For Price, it's a benefit to her education. She's developing communication skills that she says will translate to patients. And even more, she says it has re-energized her desire to make nursing a career.
"These kids are just raising their hands, they're curious, they're interested. It reminds us that it's okay to be like that. And that's why we got into this field in the first place."
Since the partnership started the nursing students have begun teaching in three middle schools. The goal is to have them in 10 by the end of the year.
Karen Morfitt joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around the Denver metro area. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.