Do doctors scare you? Does the thought of visiting Student Health and coming away with a tragic diagnosis haunt you? There's a better solution than your unhealthy habit of simply avoiding the doctor. Peer Health Educators are here to help.
Laura Long, fourth-year College student and peer health educator, said she describes the organization "as the student arm of student health in that we're a group of students trained in these topics to be able to talk to someone on the same level [who has had] similar experiences."
Olivia Smith, fourth-year College student and PHE, said PHEs work to improve health at the University by making sure students are informed. "[Our purpose is] to get information about different health-related topics to the community in a nonjudgemental way by using people's peers to better relate with them," she said.
Each PHE holds "office hours" about once a week where students can come in and ask various health questions and voice any concerns. Smith said most PHE appointments are made by women seeking more information on birth control options and gynecology exams.
PHEs often serve an important intermediary function in Student Health. Although they cannot diagnose a student, they are armed with the resources to point them in the right direction.
Long said students often feel more comfortable going to a doctor after a PHE tells them what to expect. "One thing I know one patient in particular was excited to hear was that doctors at gynecology are here working in a student health center because that is where they want to be," Long said.
Students who meet with PHEs during their office hours do receive some benefits which doctors cannot offer, however. Long said it is helpful for students to have an entire hour to talk to PHEs; instead of feeling rushed and out of place in a doctor's office, students get the chance to explore their problem in more depth.
Although PHEs can offer students help in many areas of health, they are somewhat limited when it comes to counseling services. "We don't have the knowledge base for that like we do for birth control and stuff," Smith said. If students cannot find the help they need with PHEs they will be directed to Counseling and Psychological Services, Smith said.
Not all aspects of PHE are serious, though. PHEs try to put a light-hearted spin on topics which are commonly considered taboo or uncomfortable. These light-hearted moments often occur during outreach programs, where PHEs talk to student groups about different health-related issues. Past programs have covered alcohol and drugs ("Buzzed"), sexual health ("Sexfest"), mental wellness ("Trouble in the Bubble") and nutrition ("Apples to Apples").
Smith said she also enjoys the surprising elements revealed in outreach programs. One of her favorite things to do for the "Buzzed" outreach is to have people pour water into a solo cup based on how much they think a standard shot or drink is. She said people tend to be "way off" and end up learning something they'd never thought about before.
Stevens also discussed an important aspect of outreach, explaining that students do not chastise other students for drinking or having sex but simply give them facts about practicing both safely.
"We're not condoning or saying that any practices are bad," Stevens said. "We're trying to give education."
If you've run in the fourth-year 5K or received a holiday-themed condom in Newcomb, then you've encountered PHEs at work. If you're scared to go to student health or CAPS, then PHEs can do more than offer you a Halloween-themed "condom boo" (look for them in the next few weeks); PHEs offer vital information and resources to students suffering anything from a cold to something a little more serious.
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