Experiences as a PHE
What is a PHE?
If you're a student living on campus or have taken any University 100 classes, I'm sure that you'd be familiar with who a Peer Health Educator, or PHE, is. Basically, we come to classrooms and dorms, at the request of a professor or supervisor, and give the students a presentation on "sex education". It may seem absurb because one may assume that college students should know better, but you would be surprised. What surprises me even more is the misinformation that my younger friends and relatives take away from sex education in highschool.
FAQ's
Below is a list of grossly misinformed statements taken from my experiences as a PHE.
- You can't impregnate a girl if you don't ejaculate in her.
- Wrong! There's pre-ejaculation that also contain sperm.
- Oral sex is safe sex.
- Wrong again! You can contract an STI (sexually transmitted infection as they are called now) through open sores in the mouth. In addition, STI's such as HPV (genital warts) and herpes can be transmitted through skin to skin contact. Even with oral sex, sometimes, the STI can eventually migrate on down south, if you know what I mean.
- You are 100% protected against STI's and HIV if you're using a condom.
- Nope! As I mentioned earlier, herpes and HPV (genital warts) can be contracted through skin to skin contact, even with a condom.
- If I don't experience any symptons, I'm clean.
- Wrong! Most STI's are asymptomatic, meaning you don't experience any symtoms. What's more alarming is that females tend to experience more asymptomatic symptons than males do. More disturbing facts: You could be HIV+ and not even know it because on average, the symptons don't start occuring until roughly 10 years after you have contracted the disease. With herpes, it could take up to 5 years for the first outbreak to occur.
- "I know he/she is clean. He/she told me so."
- Would you believe Pam Anderson if she told us that her boobs were real? Come on. I don't care if he/she looks clean or tells you that he/she's been with 1 other person. Unless you're in a monogamous relationship and you both have been checked out, please wear a condom.
- Using saran wrap is a safe alternative to using a dental dam.
- -Saran wrap is porous, therefore the possibility of contracting something is high. If you're not sure where to find dental dams, stop by the Health & Wellness Resource Room in SUB 1, room 220. We have plenty of goodies and valuable information to give away.
- This one blew me away. It didn't happen to me, but to my supervisor, Rachel. One girl was completely convinced that s he was pregnant because her boyfriend had told her that oral sex could get you pregnant. First of all, it is highly unlikely that any sperm would survive in your stomach acid. And second of all, the girl didn't even get tested to find out whether or not she was pregnant or not. But I guess she had an excuse. She grew up in a rural area where sex education was not taught. Even so, from what I heard, this girl was persistent, asking Rachel, "How do you know for sure? I wan't proof."
My Experiences as a PHE
I haven't been in the "business" long enough to say I've seen it all, but it sure seems like I have. So, what got me interested in becoming a PHE? A classmate of mine last spring did a project on her service learning experience as a PHE so I thought to myself, "Why not? I don't have any problems talking about sex openly." So, after a week long training session this past summer, I became a PHE, but in no way am I certified to dispense any medical or counseling advice. I'm sort of like the middle man. I listen to people's questions or concerns and sort of direct them to someone else more capable of handling the situation. But often times, I am able to clarify minor misinformation, such as the scenarios above.
Conclusion
A PHE is not limited to sex education, we also have PHE's for stress and well-being, though that's not my department. We're pretty visible on campus around final exams. De-sress pamphlets, herbal teas and free back rubs are given. Make sure to look out for us around finals time. In addtion, make sure to stop by the Health & Wellness Resource Room. We have a lot of useful information on just about anything pertraining to health and wellness. We have resources on health, body image, smoking cessation, sexual assault, drug abuce, etc.