Developing population health competencies among public health nurses in Georgia.

Full Abstract

As part of a new vision for public health in Georgia, the role of the public health nurse (PHN) is shifting from a predominantly individual and clinic-based care model to a population health practice model. Based on focus groups conducted with management and frontline PHNs in 2001, nurses in Georgia were unprepared for this transition and lacked a strong understanding of population health concepts and competencies. To prepare nurses for their new and expanded responsibilities, an online population health course was developed specifically for currently employed PHNs. The Quad Council PHN Competencies (2003) provided the roadmap in identifying the population health online course and continuing education training program priority competencies for PHNs in Georgia. Along with incorporating the competencies into case studies and didactic learning, the required projects served as evidence of competency application. The population health online course was offered from fall 2000 to spring 2005 in collaboration with Georgia schools of nursing and has enabled a cohort of nurses to lead the way as Georgia transitions into a new public health model. Nurses who completed the course reported greater experience with and an understanding of population health competencies.

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Author information

Author/s: Jakeway, Carole C (CC); Cantrell, Elizabeth E (EE); Cason, Jackie B (JB); Talley, Brenda S (BS);

Affiliation: Division of Public Health, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ccjakeway(-atsign-)dhr.state.ga.us

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Evaluation Studies; Journal Article

Journal: Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.) (Public Health Nurs), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2006 Mar-Apr; vol 23 (issue 2) : pp 161-7

Dates: Created 2006/05/10; Completed 2006/07/11;

PMID: 16684190, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Attitude of Health Personnel
Clinical Competence - standards
Community Health Planning - standards
Computer Literacy
Computer-Assisted Instruction - methods
Curriculum
Education, Distance - organization & administration
Education, Nursing, Continuing - organization & administration
Georgia
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Interinstitutional Relations

Models, Nursing
Needs Assessment
Nurse's Role
Nursing Assessment
Nursing Education Research
Nursing Methodology Research
Nursing Staff - education; organization & administration; psychology
Organizational Innovation
Program Development
Program Evaluation
Public Health Nursing - education; organization & administration
Schools, Nursing - organization & administration

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