| Course | HLTH 6362 Sexual Health and Well-Being |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 7 |
| Paper type | Communication piece |
| Length | About 460 words, 3 pages |
| Format | Handout with APA 7 source list |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Health Education and Promotion |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 6362 Week 7
Three Syphilis Tests During Pregnancy: When to Get Them and Why
What This Sheet Is About
Syphilis is an infection that can pass from a pregnant person to the baby. A simple blood test can find it. If the test finds syphilis, medicine can treat it. Treatment works best when it starts early in pregnancy.
In South Dakota, the Department of Health asks doctors and nurses to test every pregnant woman for syphilis three times. This sheet tells you when.
When to Get Tested
Test 1: At your first prenatal visit. If you are not sure you will be able to come back, ask for the test when your pregnancy is first confirmed.
Test 2: Between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. This is near the start of the third trimester.
Test 3: When your baby is born, at the hospital or birth center.
You should get all three tests even if you feel fine. Many people with syphilis have no signs at all.
Why Three Tests
A test early in pregnancy can show that you do not have syphilis today. But a person can get syphilis later in pregnancy. The second and third tests can find an infection that started after the first test.
If a Test Is Positive
Your health care team will talk with you about treatment. The medicine used during pregnancy is a type of penicillin, given as a shot. To protect the baby, treatment should start at least 30 days before your baby is born. That is one reason the tests happen when they do.
Your partner or partners may also need testing and treatment, so the infection does not come back. Your health care team or the health department can help with this, and they keep your information private.
What the Test Is Like
The syphilis test uses a small sample of blood from your arm. It is often done at the same time as other blood tests in pregnancy. If the first result is positive, a second blood test is usually done to confirm it and to help your health care team decide on the right treatment. Getting tested does not hurt your baby.
Questions You Can Ask
"Did I get my syphilis test today?"
"When is my next syphilis test?"
"If I need treatment, where will I get the shot?"
"Can my partner get tested too?"
Where to Go
You can get tested at your prenatal care clinic. If you do not have a prenatal care provider yet, you can ask for a test at a clinic, an urgent care center or an emergency department. In South Dakota, these places are asked to test pregnant women for syphilis.
Remember
Three tests. First visit. 28 to 32 weeks. When your baby is born.
Sources used to prepare this plan (for the clinician)
South Dakota Department of Health. (2025). Syphilis in South Dakota: 2024 data and health care guidance.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Screening for syphilis infection in pregnant women: US Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmation recommendation statement. JAMA, 320(9), 911-917. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.11785
Workowski, K. A., Bachmann, L. H., Chan, P. A., Johnston, C. M., Muzny, C. A., Park, I., Reno, H., Zenilman, J. M., & Bolan, G. A. (2021). Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recommendations and Reports, 70(4), 1-187. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1
The Walden HLTH 6362 Week 7 instructions
The seventh week asks students to produce a communication piece for a defined audience on their topic, written in plain language at the reading level the assignment sets. The piece may be a handout, poster, web text or script, and it must carry only what its cited sources state. Plain language is treated as a technical skill: short sentences, common words, active voice and concrete actions. Wording should describe the service or fact without editorializing about the people addressed. Most prompts also ask for a reference list and sometimes a short note on reading level or design choices. Students should test the piece by asking whether a reader could act on it after one reading. Sources are guidelines and official guidance, listed in APA format.
Inside the HLTH 6362 Week 7 example
The sample handout opens by explaining in three sentences that syphilis can pass to a baby, a blood test can find it and medicine can treat it, then states that the state health department asks for three tests. A when-to-test section lists the three times with simple cues. A why section explains that infection can start after the first test. A section on the test describes the blood draw and confirmatory testing. A positive-result section mentions penicillin shots, the 30-day window and partner testing through confidential services. Four questions give readers words to use with their care team. A where-to-go section lists prenatal clinics, urgent care and emergency departments, and a final line repeats the schedule.
Reading the HLTH 6362 Week 7 rubric
Communication pieces are graded on accuracy, plainness and tone. Faculty check that every claim matches a cited source and deduct for added advice or unsupported reassurance. Plain language carries significant weight: short sentences, familiar words and clear actions are expected, and jargon costs marks. Neutral, respectful wording toward the audience is part of the standard; language implying blame or stigma is penalized. Organization that lets a reader find the main action quickly earns credit. Inclusion of practical elements, such as questions to ask or where to go, shows audience awareness. A reference list in APA format is required even when the piece itself carries no in-text citations.
HLTH 6362 Week 7 help from the desk
Handouts often fall short by using clinical terms such as "serologic screening" or "latent infection" without translation. Another common problem is adding content the sources do not support, such as promising that tests are free. Some writers also slip into warnings that sound judgmental. To write a stronger piece, list the facts your sources state and use only those. Write each section in sentences of about ten to fifteen words. Replace every technical term with an everyday one or explain it. Read the piece aloud and remove anything that sounds like a lecture. Add questions readers can ask. If you need a plain-language piece for your own audience and topic, our writers can draft one from current guidance.
Get a HLTH 6362 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 7 instructions, your classroom's rubric, and any format or reading-level requirement the assignment sets; the first custom sample is free and comes back inside 24-48h. Statements in the piece are drawn from published sources and attributed in the rationale. The sample is coursework rather than material for distribution, and nothing in it is written as guidance to anybody.
More HLTH 6362 papers and MS in Health Education and Promotion samples
- HLTH 6362 Week 1: Syphilis Terminology Audit
- HLTH 6362 Week 2: Literature Pattern Discussion Post
- HLTH 6362 Week 3: Syphilis Population Profile
- HLTH 6362 Week 4: Syphilis Determinants Brief
- HLTH 6362 Week 5: Screening Study Evidence Appraisal
- HLTH 6362 Week 6: Prenatal Screening Guidance Review
- HLTH 6362 Week 8: Positive Test Case Response
- HLTH 6362 Week 9: Data Assumption Reflection
- HLTH 6362 Week 10: Think Syphilis Program Critique
- HLTH 6362 Week 11: Congenital Syphilis Policy Paper
- HLTH 6280 Week 7: Coalition Arithmetic Memo
- HLTH 6246 Week 7: Church Program Design Rationale
- HLTH 6207 Week 7: Grant Budget Justification
- HLTH 6205 Week 7: Key Informant Interview Plan
HLTH 6362 Week 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HLTH 6362 Week 7 sample paper?
A complete Week 7 plain-language handout on the three syphilis tests during pregnancy, listing three references, is free to read here.
What schedule does the HLTH 6362 Week 7 handout give?
Testing at the first prenatal visit, at 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy and when the baby is born, as South Dakota guidance recommends.
Why does the handout explain three tests instead of one?
Because a person can acquire syphilis after the first test, and later tests can find an infection that started during pregnancy.
What does the handout say about treatment?
That the medicine used in pregnancy is a type of penicillin given as a shot and should start at least 30 days before birth to protect the baby.
Does the handout include in-text citations?
No, by design for a patient handout, but it carries a reference list for the guidance its content comes from.