A Students Sexual Health in Scotland

Rob Sharp is studying IT management at the University of Northumbria

When someone mentions sexual health to you,

 what’s the first thing that you think of? 

That worrying moment when you hear the doctor

 stretching those non-powdered-non-latex gloves

 over their soon to be very invasive fingers?

 Perhaps receiving that awkward text from 

‘that guy in the nightclub’ detailing how he ‘accidentally caught herpes a few weeks back’.

 Or is it having a student nurse shove swabs into the most inconvenient of places?

My first thought is of an incident in a sexual health clinic in my hometown in Scotland, 

where the woman who was doing my screening quizzed me about my ‘choice of sexuality’

 for about ten minutes. Having just come out, it was a particularly traumatising experience 

to be challenged about my sexuality in a place where homophobia is least expected. 

That experience put me off going to my local clinic for quite some time.

However, I’m keen to keep myself fit (Newcastle expects it of me, I think!), so a short

 time ago I prepared for the prodding and quizzing and headed to my nearest clinic,

 New Croft Sexual Health Centre, in the centre of Newcastle. Upon arrival, I was met

 with a dour-faced receptionist who begrudgingly handed me a form and directed me

 to a booth with a small grunt. The paperwork was rather extensive and, as ever, 

demanded instant recall of my GP’s name and address. After cutting through the

 red tape I was handed a rectangular piece of plastic, and a card with a number on it. 

The plastic rectangle, I soon realised, was an electronic buzzer that would vibrate 

when I was called to see the doctor; how nifty! I sat down in the waiting room

 and noticed a display about the International Day Against Homophobia perched 

in the centre of the room; as it was saturated with rainbows, it was hard to miss. 

Given my earlier experience in Scotland, it was certainly good to know that this

 clinic at least nodded towards sensitivity for gay people. Minutes later,

 I was pleasantly surprised as my hand vibrated; it was time to go upstairs.

I was seen by a student doctor. Being a student myself, I was a little more 

lenient on him than most would be; it did, after all, take him over 45 minutes 

to fill in all my paperwork. He was polite, calm and very helpful. All the 

examinations were conducted without the slightest hiccup, apart from the

 Hepatitis B injection, which he wasn’t qualified to perform. At this point 

an excitable, bouncy doctor entered the room, administered the injection, 

and then handed me a slip of paper with details of how my results would be

 sent to me; instead of a letter through the post, I’d get a text message from 

the clinic giving me, I hoped, the all clear.

I think New Croft did a great job. I didn’t feel judged or belittled because of

 my sexuality. The care and treatment I received was second to none, and 

the staff were eager to help with anything possible. If you haven’t had a check

 up for some time, I’d urge you to pop along. It takes just 30 minutes or so 

to make sure that everything is ok down below, and you can relax knowing 

that you’re doing your bit to stop the spread of STIs. Living in a university 

town, it’s certainly something I hope people are serious about.

And if the altruistic angle hasn’t done it for you, you also get shedloads of

 free condoms. What more of a reason do you need?

For more information on the New Croft Sexual Health Centre, including clinic 

times and directions, visit the official website.