Know Your Body, Protect Your Future: A School Nurse's Health Class on Puberty, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Preventing Pregnancy
Student Name
RN to BSN Program, Aspen University
N492: Community Health I
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Slide 2: Ground Rules and Goals
Respect: no names, no personal stories about others
Every question is a good question; use the anonymous question box
Goal 1: understand the changes of puberty
Goal 2: know the six common STIs and how to prevent them
Goal 3: know every option for preventing pregnancy
Speaker notes: This presentation is designed for a ninth-grade health class and would be delivered by the school nurse in two 45-minute sessions, with parents notified in advance according to district policy. Ground rules come first because students learn more when they feel safe. The anonymous question box lets students ask what they would never say out loud, and I answer every question at the start of the second session.
Slide 3: Puberty, What Is Happening and Why
Hormones from the brain signal the ovaries or testes to start working
Changes happen in a different order and at a different pace for everyone
Growth spurts, body hair, acne, voice changes, breast development, periods, erections, wet dreams
All of this is normal; ask a trusted adult or the nurse about anything that worries you
Speaker notes: Puberty is triggered when the brain releases hormones that signal the ovaries or testes to produce estrogen or testosterone. Students need to hear that the timing varies widely and that being early or late is usually normal. I list the changes plainly, using correct anatomical terms, because vague language makes students more embarrassed, not less. The key message is that questions about these changes are normal and there are adults who can answer them.
Slide 4: Emotional Changes and Relationships
Mood swings and strong feelings are part of puberty
Crushes and attraction are normal; acting on them is a choice
A healthy relationship includes respect, honesty, and the right to say no
Consent means a clear, freely given yes, every time
Speaker notes: Puberty is emotional as well as physical. Students are introduced to what a healthy relationship looks like and to consent as an ongoing, freely given agreement that can be withdrawn at any time. This slide sets up the rest of the presentation: decisions about sex are choices, and students have the right to make them without pressure.
Slide 5: Why STIs Matter for Teens
Young people aged 15 to 24 have almost half of all new STIs in the United States
Many STIs have no symptoms, so people spread them without knowing
Most are easy to test for, and many are curable
Teens can get confidential STI testing
Speaker notes: National estimates show that people aged 15 to 24 made up less than a fifth of those living with an STI in 2018 but accounted for 45.5 percent of new infections that year (Kreisel et al., 2021). That makes this age group the most important audience for prevention. Every state allows minors to consent to their own STI testing and treatment, and students should know where they can get it locally, such as the health department clinic.
Slide 6: Bacterial STIs, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
Spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex
Often no symptoms; sometimes discharge or pain when urinating
Untreated: can cause infertility and pelvic infection
Curable with antibiotics; partners need treatment too
Speaker notes: Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most commonly reported bacterial STIs in young people. Most infections in young women, and many in young men, cause no symptoms, which is why testing matters. Untreated infection can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Both are curable with antibiotics, and partners must also be treated to avoid reinfection.
Slide 7: Syphilis
Spread through contact with a sore during sex
First sign: a painless sore that goes away on its own
Untreated: can damage the brain, heart, and other organs, and can pass to a baby during pregnancy
Curable with antibiotics, especially when caught early
Speaker notes: Syphilis has been increasing in the United States. Its first sign is often a painless sore that heals without treatment, so people assume the problem is gone. Without treatment it can progress to serious damage and can be passed to a baby during pregnancy. It is curable, especially when caught early, and a simple blood test detects it.
Slide 8: Viral STIs, Herpes, HIV, and HPV
Herpes: painful sores; no cure, but medicine controls outbreaks and lowers spread
HIV: attacks the immune system; no cure, but daily treatment keeps people healthy and prevents spread; PrEP can prevent infection
HPV: the most common STI; can cause genital warts and several cancers
HPV vaccine: best given at ages 11 to 12, recommended through age 26
Speaker notes: Viral STIs cannot be cured, but they can be treated or prevented. Herpes outbreaks can be controlled with medicine. HIV treatment allows people to live long lives, and people who keep the virus suppressed do not transmit it sexually; for people at risk, a daily or long-acting medicine called PrEP prevents infection. HPV is the most common STI and causes cervical and other cancers, and the vaccine is highly effective: in a Swedish study of more than 1.6 million girls and women, those vaccinated before age 17 had a cervical cancer rate about 88 percent lower than those who were not vaccinated (Lei et al., 2020).
Slide 9: Preventing STIs
Not having sex is the only method that is 100 percent effective
Condoms, used correctly every time, greatly lower the risk
Get tested and ask partners to get tested
Get vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B
Speaker notes: Students should hear every effective option. Choosing not to have sex, or waiting, is the only certain way to avoid STIs. For those who are sexually active, correct and consistent condom use greatly lowers risk for most STIs. Testing and vaccination round out prevention. Research on sex education programs has found that programs covering both abstinence and contraception did not increase sexual activity and helped many teens delay sex or use protection (Kirby, 2008).
Slide 10: Preventing Pregnancy, the Options
Abstinence: 100 percent effective when practiced consistently
Most effective methods: implant and IUD, which last for years
Pill, patch, ring, shot: effective when used exactly as directed
Condoms: the only method that also protects against STIs
Emergency contraception: available after unprotected sex, works best as soon as possible
Speaker notes: Methods are presented from most to least effective, not by what is most familiar. Implants and intrauterine devices are the most effective reversible methods because they do not depend on remembering anything. The pill, patch, ring, and shot work well when used correctly. Condoms prevent pregnancy and STIs, so using a condom along with another method gives the best protection against both. Students should also know that emergency contraception exists and that the sooner it is used, the better it works.
Slide 11: Making Decisions and Saying No
Your body, your choice, and no one else's
Practice saying no: "I'm not ready," "Not without a condom"
Alcohol and drugs make decisions harder
If anyone pressures or hurts you, tell a trusted adult or the school nurse
Speaker notes: Knowledge only helps if students can act on it under pressure. This slide includes a short role-play in pairs using simple refusal phrases. We also discuss how alcohol and drugs impair judgment. Students are reminded that pressure or force is never acceptable and that the school nurse and counselor are safe people to talk to.
Slide 12: Where to Get Help
School nurse: questions, referrals, confidential support
County health department clinic: free or low-cost STI testing and birth control
Your doctor or clinic
Trusted adults: parents, relatives, counselors
Speaker notes: The last content slide gives students specific places to go. I would list the local health department clinic's address and hours and explain what confidential means and its limits, for example that the nurse must report abuse. Encouraging students to talk with parents or other trusted adults is part of the message; many teens want those conversations but do not know how to start them.
Slide 13: Review Quiz and Evaluation
Five-question anonymous quiz before and after the sessions
Examples: Which STIs are curable? Which birth control lasts the longest?
Evaluation: knowledge scores and students' confidence in saying no
Anonymous question box answered at the next class
Speaker notes: To evaluate the lesson, students complete the same brief anonymous quiz before and after the sessions, which measures knowledge of STI facts and contraception, plus one question asking how confident they feel refusing unwanted sexual activity. Answers to anonymous questions are given at the start of the next class. The results guide what to reteach and show the school that the program is working.
References
Kirby, D. B. (2008). The impact of abstinence and comprehensive sex and STD/HIV education programs on adolescent sexual behavior. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 5(3), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2008.5.3.18
Kreisel, K. M., Spicknall, I. H., Gargano, J. W., Lewis, F. M., Lewis, R. M., Markowitz, L. E., Roberts, H., Johnson, A. S., Song, R., St. Cyr, S. B., Weston, E. J., Torrone, E. A., & Weinstock, H. S. (2021). Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: Prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 48(4), 208-214. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001355
Lei, J., Ploner, A., Elfström, K. M., Wang, J., Roth, A., Fang, F., Sundström, K., Dillner, J., & Sparén, P. (2020). HPV vaccination and the risk of invasive cervical cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(14), 1340-1348. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1917338
How this N 492 Module 5 example is structured
N492 Module 5 typically asks for a PowerPoint of at least 10 content slides for high school students on puberty, sexually transmitted diseases (gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HIV, syphilis and HPV) and pregnancy prevention, supported by scholarly sources. Aspen revises courses, so follow your classroom's instructions. This example is written for the students who would see it, with teaching choices and citations in the speaker notes, covers every infection the prompt names, presents contraception by effectiveness, adds decision skills and local resources, and ends with an evaluation plan.
N492 Module 5 questions, answered
What does N492 Module 5 usually ask for?
Commonly a PowerPoint of at least 10 content slides for high school students covering puberty, the STDs gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HIV, syphilis and HPV, and pregnancy prevention, with at least two scholarly sources.
Should the presentation promote abstinence or contraception?
Give accurate information about all options. The sample states that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective and then covers condoms and contraception from most to least effective. Research on sex education programs supports including both, and school or district policy may add requirements.
How do I pitch the slides for teenagers?
Short, plain lines on the slides, correct terms without euphemisms, and explanations and citations in the speaker notes. Ground rules, an anonymous question box and a short role-play help students engage, and the sample uses all three.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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