Public health nursing (PHN) is the predominant nursing practice in the United States. PHNs work in a several capacities in the community. The practice varies from the nurse work that the public commonly sees. Recently, researchers have developed a special work methodology for the nurses to use. Using the method, public health nurses have tackled community health issues with positive patient outcomes.
PHN regulatory groups predict that these nurses specialists will continue to serve as a valuable asset for years to come.The Scope of Public Health NursingPublic health nurses advance healthcare knowledge among specific populations and oversee individual communities. The practice is the most common nursing profession in America. The Association of Public Health Nurses governs the PHN field in the United States and its territories. These special nurses combine healthcare, social work and educator roles to protect their patients. Because of their intimate knowledge of their service areas, PHNs can help create service plans for their distinct community needs.
Public Health Nurses in the FieldPublic health nursing is somewhat different from other nursing professions. Rather than servicing individual patients, such as in an emergency room setting, PHNs oversee entire communities. The nurses consider factors – such as genetics, culture, and surrounding – when uncovering their communities’ needs. Education and prevention are the PHN’s primary focus. The practitioners disseminate the information in a way that is easy for non-healthcare professionals to understand. If patients cannot come to a given healthcare center, as is often the case, public health nurses travel to the patient.
In remote communities, such as those in Alaska, PHNs t. .alth concerns. Additionally, the COL defines public health nurses as “advocates, collaborators, educators, partners, policy-makers and researchers.” Moving forward, the COL urges public health nurses to increase the public’s participation in their health maintenance and encourages PHNs to expand on ethnically-based program creation to resolve community health issues. The COL forecasts that PHNs will continue to create positive community patient outcomes by continuing these practices.
Public health nurses make up the largest practicing nursing specialty in the United States. PHN fulfill various roles in the community. Although highly effective, PHN work is not as familiar to the public as other nursing practices. The nurses now operate using techniques devised by researchers.These techniques have proved – and will continue to prove – successful in many settings.
