A Nurse’s Popular Preteen Classes on Puberty….Parents Included

Julie Metzger, MN, RN. Photo by Holly Andres.

The first time I menstruated, I knew exactly what it meant: that I could never go swimming again. I don’t know how I squared this idea with the fact that older girls and women were always in the city pool when I went there. Illogically, I was convinced I was now doomed to living without my favorite summer pastime.

A couple of years earlier my mom and I, along with most of the girls in my class and their moms, had nervously attended the school nurse’s annual lecture to fourth grade girls. Apparently, “no more swimming” was my garbled take-home from that event.

For preteen girls only, and their mothers.

Today, nurse Julie Metzger tackles misunderstandings like this with lively presentations about puberty to preteens and their mothers. She and her work are profiled in “Great Conversations: A Nurse Tackles the Puberty Talk” (free until March 28) in this month’s AJN. Metzger combines humorous props (a maxi pad stuck to her shoulder) and storytelling to talk about body changes, the opposite sex, decision-making, and friendship. […]

2018-03-20T11:56:23-04:00March 14th, 2018|Nursing|2 Comments
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Diabetes and Puberty – How Nurses Can Help Teens and Their Parents Manage Blood Glucose

Trenton Jantzi replaces his insulin pump infusion site during a break at school. The high-school senior must change his infusion site every three days. Photo by Mark Ylen / Democrat-Herald. Trenton Jantzi replaces his insulin pump infusion site during a break at school. The high-school senior must change his infusion site every three days. Photo by Mark Ylen / Democrat-Herald.

A new article in AJN gives crucial information on the challenges to managing diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, that are faced by teenagers and their parents during the physical and psychosocial changes of puberty.

Any nurse can tell you that it’s not easy to manage diabetes. I got type 1 diabetes when I was 27 years old and it took me more than ten years to really understand how to balance the effects of diet, exercise, insulin intake, and other factors like illness or stress.

There’s a lot at stake, too, in terms of long-term complications linked to poor blood glucose control, including blindness, heart disease, neuropathy, and a host of other unpleasant complications. In addition, there are serious potential short-term risks of diabetes like hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia that can land you in a coma or […]

2016-11-21T13:04:19-05:00July 7th, 2014|Nursing, patient engagement, Patients|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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