The Quad Council Practice Competencies for Public Health Nursing

This article describes the most recent efforts by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing organizations to review and revise the competencies for PHN practice, and highlights the implications of these competencies for practice, education, and research. The Quad Council is a coalition of four nursing organizations with a focus on public health nursing and includes the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators; the Association of Public Health Nursing (known prior to July 1, 2012 as the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing); the Public Health Nursing section of the American Public Health Association; and the Council on Economics and Practice of the American Nurses' Association. The Quad Council competencies are based on the Council on Linkages competencies for public health professionals and were designed to ensure that public health nursing fits in the domain of public health science and practice.     

Aggregate/Community-Centered Undergraduate Community Health Nursing Clinical Experience

Abstract Debate continues about the appropriateness of clinical experiences targeting aggregates in undergraduate community health nursing education. This paper describes a practical model to teach, through experience, the concepts of aggregate/community-centered practice at the baccalaureate level. As a voluntary alternative to the usual community assessment paper, groups of students worked in partnership with community groups to define health needs and to address one need. Sequential student groups focused the assessment and implemented a plan. The required time for each project varied. One project is described to illustrate the model. While independent community-centered practice is not expected of the B.S.N. graduate, the model described here develops comprehension of the concepts and process of such practice.     

Cultivating Settings for Community Health Nursing Research

Linkages between community health nurses and voluntary health associations provide rich research opportunities. Developing and nurturing collaborative research requires a significant investment of time and effort from people with diverse interests, backgrounds, and talents. Specifically, successful collaboration requires that each participant demonstrate commitment to the project by making a contribution of time and talent. Open, honest communication and compatibility among team members is essential if research questions and methodology are to be developed and if data are to be collected, analyzed and communicated. Proper credit is important, since people who contribute to a project expect appropriate recognition. Collaborative research between community health nurses and voluntary agencies is certainly not new. Both nurses and the associations benefit since all participants can attain individual and mutually agreed upon goals.     

Osteoporosis: Implications for Community Health Nursing

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem as evidenced by the fact that it affects more than four million American women. It is a critical factor in virtually all of the 700,000 disabling hip fractures that occur yearly and it costs the economy almost $1 billion annually (Hodgson, 1982). The purpose of this article is to identify the major causes of osteoporosis and to present nursing interventions which diminish the devastating effects of this disease.     

National Delphi Study to Determine Competencies for Nursing Leadership in Public Health

Purpose: To identify competencies needed by nurse leaders in public health programs.
Design: Five-round national Delphi.
Sample: Convenience sample of members of major public health nursing associations and nurse and non-nurse public health leaders in the USA.
Methods: Mailed survey in 1994-7995 using a modified snowball technique based on a modification of the Pew Foundation health professions'competencies for Round I. Four additional rounds produced consensus.
Findings: Initially, 62 competencies were identified. Factor analysis resulted in four factors: political competencies, business acumen, program leadership, and management capabilities; 57 competencies were clustered in the four groupings and accounted for 91.4% of the variance.
Conclusions: Graduate schools in nursing and public health must prepare students with broad-based competencies from a variety of disciplines. Findings of this national survey provide a database for curriculum development and evaluation ofprograms to prepare nurse leaders for roles in public health-based delivery systems.     

Community Health Nursing Outcomes Inventory

The Community Health Nursing Outcomes Inventory (CHNOI) is a 48-item assessment instrument that measures client and nurse outcomes in community settings. The objective of this study was to test the psychometric properties and feasibility of the CHNOI. Results suggest that the CHNOI is an instrument that efficiently measures outcomes sensitive to nursing care in health services research. Managers and researchers may find this instrument useful to assess a community health program's effectiveness.     

Community Health Diagnosis in Nursing

A review of the historical evolution of the concept of community health diagnosis in nursing identifies sources of ambiguity that have impeded making the goals and values of community health nursing operational. Refinements of meaning in the conceptualization of the community health diagnosis that focus upon the community as the primary level of analysis are suggested. Implications of this reconceptualization of the practice of community health nursing are considered in guidelines for developing community health diagnoses and in an example of the diagnosis of a Mien refugee community's responses to health problems.     

Integrating Nursing Diagnosis for Population Groups Within Community Health Nursing Practice

Conflicting views exist about the utility of nursing diagnosis in community health nursing, particularly in relation to its use with population groups. Until recently, this application of nursing diagnosis received limited consideration by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. As a result, discussion is needed regarding the ways in which use of nursing diagnosis with population groups in community settings may be different from the use of nursing diagnosis with individuals. In this article several distinctive characteristics of the use of nursing diagnosis for health promotion with various population groups are addressed. Thoughtful consideration of these distinctive characteristics can provide a foundation for effective use of nursing diagnosis with population groups in community settings.     

Academic Faculty Qualifications for Community/Public Health Nursing: An Association of Community Health Nursing Educators Position Paper

ABSTRACT The Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE) has developed a number of documents designed to delineate the scope and function of community/public health nursing (C/PHN) educators, researchers, and practitioners. Consistent with the mission of ACHNE, this position paper entitled Academic Faculty Qualifications for Community/Public Health Nursing has been developed by the Faculty Qualifications Task Force. The shortage of qualified nursing faculty has been well documented. In particular, this shortage has increased the difficulty in having sufficient numbers of faculty who are educationally and experientially qualified to teach in the C/PHN specialty. ACHNE is addressing this concern by setting forth preferred qualifications for faculty to teach C/PHN at both the graduate and undergraduate level. While we recognize that the current faculty shortage may require schools to use faculty to teach in areas in which they do not have appropriate formal preparation, the paper outlines best practices for teaching C/PHN, a goal we urge all schools of nursing to work toward. Task Force members developed an earlier draft of the document in fall 2008, and input was solicited and received from ACHNE members and considered in the final document, which was approved by the ACHNE Executive Board in July 2009.     

Reconceptualization of Community Health Nursing Clinicals for Undergraduate Students

Abstract The multilevel community intervention model is a way of maximizing community resources and services and providing a community focus for undergraduate community health nursing students. The rationale for a change from traditional community health nursing clinical experiences to more community focused ones and current nursing standards supporting this change are identified. The model and its utilization with undergraduate nursing students is discussed. Three groups of undergraduate community health nursing students will each implement one piece of the model and through group discussions learn about the total model.