Public health nursing is a nursing specialty that focuses on providing nursing services that are beneficial to the general public’s health. Public health nurses, in addition to working with individual patients, also target nursing services to specific populations, providing education, preventive care, and other services to their communities in order to promote general wellness and disease and injury prevention. This job also entails developing healthcare policy and public health initiatives, all with the goal of making the community as healthy as possible.
Public health nurses may begin their careers in nursing school, but they also receive training in topics such as healthcare policy and social services. Because public health nurses are responsible for the entire community, they learn how to identify at-risk populations and consider issues that may arise, such as access to clean water, safe working conditions, and nutrition. The recognition that many factors contribute to health, and that simply addressing obvious medical problems is not enough, is an important part of the field of public health nursing.
Many governments fund public health nursing because they recognize that healthy populations are happier, more efficient, and productive. These funds can be used to support public health clinics and a variety of services provided by public health nurses, such as health code inspections of public facilities and school outreach programs.
A public health nurse may work in a public health clinic that provides low-income people with free or low-cost medical treatment. Routine vaccinations, physical exams, and other services may be included in this treatment. Public health clinics frequently offer nutrition classes, baby care classes, and other public health-related topics, as well as mental counseling, group therapy for substance abusers, and other community-based services.
Working as a public health nurse in health care policy, designing policies and campaigns for the community’s health, is also an option. To make public health a priority, public health nurses may develop educational programs, public awareness campaigns, and other forms of community outreach, as well as assist regulatory agencies in enforcing these guidelines. Public health nursing policymaking also includes discussions about the community’s specific needs, such as in a city with a large homeless population that may require special attention from public health nurses and social service agencies. To serve their communities, public health nurses frequently collaborate with a variety of social service agencies.