A public health nurse promotes wellness and addresses health issues that affect entire populations at the local, state, federal or global level. PHNs are responsible for tracking health issues, analyzing data and developing health programs. They work in governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, corporate programs and similar settings.
Most nursing specialties focus on individual care, but public health nursing is different. Instead of focusing on the individual patient, a public health nurse (PHN) meets the needs of an entire population, such as a community, state or region. This nursing specialty has roots in the 1850s, when Florence Nightingale galvanized her fellow nurses to fight for improvements in the social and environmental determinants of health during the Crimean War, saving countless soldiers’ lives.
If you are driven to advance community health, a career in public health might be your calling. Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program is designed for individuals with a non-nursing degree or existing college credits who would like to transition into nursing. NDMU can help you earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as few as 15 months and graduate ready to make an impact.
Let’s explore questions such as, “What do public health nurses do?” and “Where does a PHN nurse work?” Then, learn about the essential qualities for this role and the available career pathways.
What Is Public Health Nursing?
A PHN nurse’s primary mission is to promote wellness in populations. They achieve this by identifying health risk factors, studying the social and environmental determinants of health, raising public awareness of health issues and prioritizing preventive wellness.
PHNs serve as both educators and advocates for the public good. They can influence policies and implement programs to support preventive wellness while also tracking and responding to public health crises, such as disease outbreaks.
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What Do Public Health Nurses Do?
The work of a PHN depends on their employer, work setting and subspecialty. In government agencies, for example, a PHN might work on developing public health policies, providing administrative support for projects, overseeing research teams and evaluating policy initiatives.
What do public health nurses do within a nonprofit organization like the Red Cross? Within a nonprofit, a PHN may focus on helping communities become more resilient through emergency planning. They may also lead disaster relief efforts and respond to other community crises.
Regardless of setting, some of the general responsibilities of a public health nurse include:
- Advocating for health policies and resources
- Assessing population health risk factors and needs, and identifying priorities for health interventions
- Collecting, processing and analyzing public health data
- Developing, implementing and evaluating public health promotion programs, including health education initiatives
- Evaluating the available health care access within a community, and working to improve access to services
PHN nurses take a holistic approach to public health. Along with tracking disease outbreaks, they might evaluate trends such as rising head injury rates among bicyclists and motorcyclists who are not wearing appropriate helmets. They might also evaluate how environmental pollution from a nearby manufacturer affects a community’s health.
Are Community Health Nurses and PHN Nurses the Same?
Public health nursing and community health nursing are similar specialties but not identical. Community health nurses promote community-wide health by directly working with individuals and families. They focus on underserved groups, including those without equitable access to health care and those disproportionately affected by social and environmental determinants of health. A community health nurse might do anything from teaching a newly diagnosed diabetic patient how to self-administer insulin injections to providing education on newborn care to new parents.
In contrast, PHNs take a higher-level approach by advocating for system-wide improvements that protect and promote population wellness. They work toward policy reform, health risk identification and health system improvements. PHNs may sometimes work directly with patients, but typically do so as educators leading a wellness workshop or similar program.
Where Do Public Health Nurses Work?
Public health nurses often work for governmental health departments at the county, state or federal level. They may work in community clinics or centers, as well as schools and universities.
Other common work settings for PHNs include:
- Corporate health programs
- Correctional facilities
- Home health and outreach programs
- International health organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Nonprofit organizations, such as the Red Cross
Essential Skills and Qualities for This Nursing Specialty
PHN nurses rely on a diverse skill set that includes both hard and soft skills. Some of the most important hard, or technical, skills include the following:
- Case management
- Clinical assessments of the social and environmental determinants of health
- Data analysis and epidemiology
- Data management, including electronic health records (EHRs)
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Health education
- Infection control
- Population-based health care planning
- Project management
Along with these essential hard skills, PHNs can benefit from a variety of soft skills, including:
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking, analytical reasoning and problem-solving
- Cultural competence
- Leadership
- Organization
- Professionalism and nursing ethics
- Time management
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PHN Career Pathways to Explore
After obtaining a BSN and RN licensure, aspiring public health nurses should spend at least a year or two building clinical experience at the bedside. Take the time to refine your clinical skills and nursing judgment, and reflect on your goals for your nursing career.
After gaining experience, you can start looking for PHN roles. There are a variety of subspecialties to consider within public health nursing. Some examples include:
- Emergency preparedness and disaster response
- Environmental health
- Epidemiology and infection control
- Global health
- Health policy analysis
- Maternal and child health
- Occupational health
- Public health program management
Earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) or a Master of Science (MSN) with a concentration in public health may open the door to some PHN roles. You could also earn a professional certification in public health, such as the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE), to boost your resume.
Explore Exciting Nursing Specialties at Notre Dame
Whether your nursing career leads you to public health or another specialty, you’ll need to start with a solid nursing education. Notre Dame of Maryland University invites you to learn more about our ABSN program. We enable students to earn a BSN in as few as 15 months, with the option of online or in-person nursing coursework, combined with hands-on, immersive learning experiences. Between faculty mentoring, tutoring services and Academic Success Coaches, you will be fully supported in your nursing journey.
Contact an admissions advisor today and find out if our ABSN program is the right fit for you.