Why include Family Planning in the Nursing Curriculum?

During our duty at the Obstetrics ward at Tondo Medical Center and home visits during my Community Health Nursing, I personally observed the prevalence of pregnant women. More often than not, the patients I encounter are multigravidas and multiparas. Most of which belong to the lower economic sectors wherein couples and/or families cannot provide a sustainable living condition. I also witnessed the increasing number of pregnant women aged 18 and below as well as women who had intentional abortions. The relevance of Family Planning in the Nursing curriculum is that it presents the current situation of our country in relation to reproductive health. By including Family Planning in one of our subjects, we get to realize its immediacy to solve several problems that plague our country today.

In addition to that, Family Planning makes the students more well rounded and open minded individuals. No longer are we restrained from the childish mindset or the conservative Filipino ideas that connote sex and contraception with something taboo. As such, we, student nurses, should not be only focused on the curative aspects of health care but also its promotive and more so, preventive. That is why Family Planning could be considered as invaluable in the Nursing Curriculum. As for the individual level, it reduces the number of times a woman becomes pregnant. Generally speaking and as statistics would support, women with higher parity face a greater risk in pregnancy and maternal death and by knowing such, the we may be able to add or supplement the knowledge that women of maternal age have by including topics such as proper birth spacing, contraceptive use, etc. in our health teachings.

Family planning also reduces the number of unintended and unwanted pregnancies that most likely end in induced abortion or inadequate prenatal care than wanted pregnancies. Thus, the potential to reduce these deaths is very great through Family Planning. By including Family Planning in the nursing curriculum, the students could impart knowledge that makes the woman gain a sense of control of her body and its physiology thereby giving her an overall feeling of wellness.

Nursing care is holistic. By including Family Planning in the Nursing Curriculum, the students will be more adept and comfortable in discussing concerns related to reproduction and sexuality. Thus, the students will be able to deliver better nursing care and possibly even better outcome in the long run for the patient.

In summary, including Family Planning in the Nursing curriculum makes the students become socially aware, more open minded, well rounded, and more efficient and proficient in their field. Aside from that, it also raises consciousness about the effects and immediacy of Family Planning. And by so doing, we gain a sense of personal responsibility for our actions not only with regard to our future sexual choices but more importantly, our role as nurses.