Possible Career Paths in Nursing

A career in nursing offers many diverse opportunities for specialization. One of the many nursing specialties to consider is that of a Public Health Nurse (PHN). The nurses role in Public Health relates to the health status of the community as a whole. The PHN works with many diverse and vulnerable populations, monitoring and planning for the prevention and control of communicable diseases, health promotion for maternal, child, and adolescent health, and prevention of abuse and neglect of children, elders, and spouses. The PHN is involved in outreach screening, case management, and acts as facilitator and resource coordinator for the assessment, evaluation and delivery of care for individuals, families, and communities.

The qualifications necessary to become a Public Health Nurse begin as a Registered Nurse with special education and experience. A Bachelors of Science (BSN) in Nursing from a National League of Nursing (NLN) accredited university is a basic requirement and this designation qualifies the nurse to apply for a public health nursing certificate (PHN).

There are three basic disease prevention categories: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention.

Primary prevention involves the prevention of disease before physiological onset. This can be accomplished by preventing environmental exposure to disease in the community, prevention of outbreaks, education to reduce risk-taking behaviors that result in sexually transmitted diseases, vaccination clinics for control and prevention of communicable disease, and improving resistance to disease through health promotion activities such as, access to medical care and educational programs.

Secondary prevention involves discovery of diseases that may be present but have not yet produced any signs and symptoms to alert the patient. These disease states may be found during screening stages such as, the Pap Smear for cervical carcinoma, mammography for breast cancer, screening of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, screening colonoscopy for colon cancer, prostate exams or the PPD skin test used to screen for Tuberculosis.

Tertiary prevention is the prevention of disease progression and suffering once a diagnosis has been established. Rehabilitation is included in the Tertiary phase and includes management of chronic disease processes, prevention of exacerbations and re-occurrence, and the use of preventive interventions.

Public Health Nursing has as its focus the health status of the community. Surveillance, disease prevention, health promotion and maintenance, the creation of public policy and facilitation of services are but a few of the responsibilities found with-in the scope of Public Health Nursing. Considering a career path in nursing is an important decision, one that requires research and exposure to objective information. There are many nursing specialties to consider; a career in Public Health Nursing requires knowledge, experience and a great deal of dedication to the overall health of the community. If this challenging nursing specialty sounds compelling, there is more useful information on the web site for The American Public Health Association.

References:

American Public Health Association (2008).About Public Health Nursing. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from http://www.apha.org/about

Centers for disease control and prevention. The CDC for public health professionals. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/CDCForYou/p ublic_health_professionals

Healthy People 2010 (2008). Leading health indicators. Retrieved from the
Healthy People website on March 7, 2007 from
www.healthypeople.gov/LHI/

Learn more about this author, C. Lyn Walter.
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