Adolescent Reproductive Health: A new certificate program for front line providers

The human and financial costs of unplanned adolescent pregnancies make it a significant public health problem in the U.S. Over the past decade, research has identified multiple science-based approaches (SBA) that have demonstrated effectiveness in delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse and/or increasing the use of contraceptives among adolescents. However, providers of teen pregnancy (TP) and HIV/STD prevention programs often lack the capacity to implement SBA in their schools and communities. During the Fall of 2006, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy collaborated with faculty from the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health to develop an 18 credit hour, non-degree continuing education certificate program to enhance this capacity. The SOPHE/AAHE/NCHEC seven areas of responsibilities and competencies for health educators, the Association of Schools of Public Health's core competencies for the social and behavioral sciences, and SIECUS Guidelines were utilized to create an innovative curricular framework for the certificate program. This session will describe the development of the curricular framework that places special emphasis on learner evaluation strategies and the integration of Campaign courses/trainings into the certificate program. Preliminary results from pilot implementation with an emphasis on contextual issues as well as lessons learned, suggestions, and tips for replication of similar certificate programs will be discussed.