Norwegian Public Health Nurses’ Perspectives on Their Role in High Schools—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

AimPublic health nurses working in high schools have few set tasks, and there is limited research available on their flexible role. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe public health nurses’ perspectives on their role when working in Norwegian high schools.DesignA qualitative descriptive design, with an inductive approach.SampleEight public health nurses with at least 1‐year of experience working in high schools in Norway.MethodsIndividual, semi‐structured interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsPublic health nurses viewed clinical practice as being the main purpose of their role, and the role was founded on both physical and digital availability. Close collaboration within the school and with external collaboration partners was crucial when public health nurses executed their role. The flexible nature of the role presented navigational challenges for public health nurses, who needed to balance competing demands in a busy work environment. Nevertheless, public health nurses demonstrated a strong commitment to their role and experienced that they made a difference to the students they served and the schools in which they worked.ConclusionsThe study underlined the importance of recognizing the totality of the public health nursing role and the ethical challenges derived from navigating different perspectives of the role.