Developing Public Health Competence Among RN‐to‐BSN Students in a Rural Community

Abstract

A new RN/BSN nursing program offers rural students in a western state the opportunity to address significant health care needs on a local level by developing public health leadership competencies in their home communities. The innovative program, funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, makes it possible for RNs to complete their BSN degrees without travel, as they position themselves to provide critically needed health care leadership in their local areas. Partnerships between the university, community colleges, and local health agencies allow students in the RN-to-BSN program to benefit from a streamlined BSN admission process, onsite mentoring, and newly developed courses that lead students to reflect on health needs in their home communities. On the basis of Public Health Nursing Competencies as defined by the Nursing Quad Council (2004), the re-designed curriculum prepares students for public health leadership by encouraging application of competencies while participating in the delivery of essential public health services in their communities. Initial response to this new opportunity indicates that students can develop as leaders by developing public health competencies, and facets of the program may encourage more students to commit to completing the BSN while increasing capacity among PHNs.

Public Health Nursing Competency in a Rural/Frontier State

“…Research addressing PHN competency has primarily focused on the use and diffusion of the Quad Council competencies in practice and education (Jakeway, Cantrell, Cason, & Talley, 2006;Oppewal, Lamanna, & Lee, 2006;Ouzts, Brown, & Swearingen, 2006;Poulton & McCammon, 2007), developing assessment measures for PHN competency (Cross et al, 2006;Kalb et al, 2006), and to a limited extent, assessing competency levels in select PHN populations. In a study in urban Minnesota, Cross et al (2006) assessed self-rated population-based practice competency among practicing PHNs using a tool including 195 measurable activities based on the Minnesota Public Health Intervention Model.…”

Special Features: Education: Challenges and Opportunities Associated with Preceptored Community Health Clinical Experiences

“…The teaching‐learning strategies that highlight the connection between the Essentials and the PHNC provide a way to plan and evaluate experiences to prepare community and public health nurse generalists. If these strategies are used effectively, students will be educated as novice community health nurses while participating in the delivery of essential public health services (Ouzts, Brown, & Diaz Swearingen, 2006; Thies & Ayers, 2007). This preparation may help to reduce the current public and community health nursing workforce shortage.…”

Finding Common Ground in Public Health Nursing Education and Practice

“…(3) pairing students with preceptors at state, local, and district public health agencies (Anderson et al, 2004); and (4) increased student opportunities to participate in the provision of essential public health services (Anderson et al, 2004;Ouzts, Brown, & Swearingen, 2006). Collaborative models between education and practice have also facilitated the development of population-based PHN competencies (Anderson et al, 2004;Kaiser & Rudolph, 2003;Reifsnider et al, 2004;Zahner & Gredig, 2005).…”