Institutionalizing fertility management/human sexuality training in Colombian nursing schools

While there is no universally applied definition of the terms, 'institutionalization', 'capacity', 'capability' and 'commitment' have been suggested as subindicators of a self-sustained program. This paper describes efforts to measure these terms in the context of a fertility management/human sexuality (FM/HS) education program for student nurses in Colombia. Interviews with 19 school deans formed the basis of measuring progress towards institutionalization. All the deans supported the idea of having FM/HS instruction, although resource commitment to effectively carry out the instruction varied. Focus groups with professors from participating schools provided insights into the effect of the project on both the students and course teachers. Professors found that students who had taken the course were more effective FM/HS counselors in later practical courses. Responses from interviews with a random sample of students who had or had not attended the course were compared to assess the effect of the course on the nursing students. Although attitudes between the two groups did not differ significantly, knowledge levels about FM/HS were significantly higher among nursing students who had attended the course. In general, the results indicate that the participatory educational approach used in teaching the FM/HS topics was effective in sensitizing both students and teachers to this subject area.