Written by: Kestrel Brown (she\/her).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edited by: Camille Zeitouni (she\/her).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I grew up as the youngest child and the only girl in a strict religious household. I was fourteen when I got my first period. Having a poor relationship with my mother and no sisters, I had no idea what to expect, and definitely no idea how to put in a tampon. I was menstruating every fourteen days and had no resources to guide me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I brought up the issue to my pediatrician and he suggested birth control as a method of controlling my irregular cycle. However, my strict mother sitting in the corner of my doctor\u2019s appointment shut down that idea immediately. She announced \u201cno woman who is not having sex (until marriage of course) needs to be on the pill<\/em>.” I wanted to speak to my doctor alone and not have my parent in the room, but my mom refused and my doctor didn\u2019t want to meddle in \u201cfamily issues\u201d. I went home that evening empty-handed and bleeding for what felt like the millionth day in a row.<\/strong> I remember begging my mother, crying, stressed about bleeding through another pair of jeans, but her response was always the same: \u201conly people who are sexually active want the pill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s my body and my choice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Being the youngest and therefore the rebel of the family, I could not take no for an answer. I explained my situation to the guidance counsellor at my school later that week. She and I were very close, and I was constantly sitting in her office, discussing my strict family issues. She explained a concept to me that both my doctor and mother failed to highlight: it\u2019s my body and my choice<\/strong>. While this is different in every province, in Quebec, a minor aged fourteen or over may consent to care without parental consent [1]. She helped me find a free clinic and made an appointment for me. She even excused me from class and drove me to this appointment during school hours. I am forever grateful for the countless hours she spent with me in her office and in the clinic\u2019s waiting room during follow up appointments. I felt so rebellious, but also so embarrassed that I had to jump through so many hoops to get medical help.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At the clinic, the doctor was kind and understanding of my situation. We discussed my options and eventually determined the treatment plan for my outrageous cycles would be to go on the pill<\/em>. Starting birth control helped regulate my cycles, control my anemia, and ultimately put me in a better mood. I was more confident knowing I was doing everything I could for my body and overall health.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward some years, I go through health sciences in C\u00e9gep and life sciences in University. I know I want to pursue a job in healthcare, yet I\u2019m not sure why. I started working as a medical scribe at a pediatric clinic hoping it would spark a light for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was stunned with the lack of information, and guidance we were giving these young adults. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n During my first day, my colleague explained the ins and outs of doing patient intake and the various visits we see: checkups, sick visits, consults\u2026 He explains that for patients fourteen years and older, I should \u201cask them if they\u2019re having sex or doing drugs and oh [you can] ask the parent to leave if the kid wants.\u201d I was stunned with the lack of information, and guidance we were giving these young adults. While I am well aware I am not a physician and cannot give medical advice, I thought surely we could provide them with more resources<\/strong>. Given my proximity to these teenagers\u2019 age, and as a twenty-year-old who has gone through similar issues not too long ago, I was determined to do better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As I became more comfortable in my role at the clinic, I specialized in working alongside the doctors who saw adolescent patients. The script I was given to say when I entered the patient room was not sufficient<\/strong>. <\/strong>I thought long and hard about what I wish someone said to me as a scared teenager and improvised from there. I\u2019ve discussed various ideas with the doctors on how to improve patient-care, patient-autonomy and increase patient-knowledge as a medical scribe. I focus on patient comfort and education about their medical rights. I always ask (kindly) that the parents sit outside for a portion of the visit. While some parents are more understanding and excited for their child to be given this autonomy and responsibility, others are hesitant to leave their child, and escalate the situation with name calling or imply that I am breaking the law by asking them to sit in the hall. When this happens, I remind myself that they are not my patient. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I am with my patient alone, I discuss sex, drugs, alcohol, bullying and safety<\/strong> ensuring they understand that they are in control. I end the visit by taking the patient\u2019s height and weight and ask if they want me to welcome their parent back in. Weight can be a sensitive topic for many patients and we should remind them it is their choice to share it or not with their family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n