The involvement of school nurses in the delivery of sexual healthcare: experiences and training

Abstract

This paper reports a study of the involvement of school nurses, in one primary care trust (PCT) in England, in sex and relationships education and service provision. It explores the training they have received and their preferences for the format and content of future training. Seventeen of the nineteen nurses surveyed had direct involvement in the delivery of sexual healthcare or sex and relationship education to young people. Almost no education in sexual issues was reported in pre-registration training. Most had received post registration education or training in sexual health. School nurses favoured short workshops over longer credit bearing educational courses. Time constraints were identified as an obstacle to training. Social, ethical, legal and religious issues, gender inequality and sexual assault were areas in which a need for more training was identified