340 Replies week 8
APA, Referrences
Discussion Prompt
COLLAPSE
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As you look back on Sessions A & B of Public Health Nursing, reflect on what you knew then and what you know now about the role of the public health nurse and her/his importance locally as well as globally to various communities.
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Reply 1 : Deneshia
What comes to your mind when you hear the term nursing? If minimizing the impact of illnesses, helping people function at home, at their work stations or during their leisure time, or promoting health comes to your mind, then you got it right. Public health nurses are nurses who translate health and social sciences knowledge to the community and have their focus mainly on illness prevention, health promotion and maintenance (Parson2020). However, most have not well defined their roles and their roles need to be redesigned from being the jack of all trades. They need to evolve from being what Philibin et al (2010) call the catch all service in the community for them to well accomplish their roles and to understand their importance whether locally or globally.
Most are actively involved in the society not really realizing their roles or the magnitude of the importance of their services in the society. Their roles have however been precisely outlined and all of them have improving public health at their heart. The nurses will probably outdo themselves on some roles and underdo on the others. Among the roles include assessment and evaluation of health care services to see that the community is well informed of any available programs or services and that they utilize those services. Secondly, these nurses take up the role of educating the public and taking care of the vulnerable members in the society. Thirdly, they are the people responsible of evaluating any health-related trends and risk factors in a society. These are just a mention of the activities they are involved in, but the list goes long.
It is evident from their roles that the public health nurses are a critical part in the society providing a link between health education and the society but with innovations and changes, their definition and roles have been distorted. It is important that their roles are redesigned to keep their essential role in the society and to see that we have a community that is health sound. Amidst all conditions, their roles and importance must be focused on seeing that public health improves and that it is at its highest possible standard.
Reply 2: Jessica
Going into Public Health Nursing part A, I had a general understanding of public health nursing. That being said, I was unaware of the specifics of the role, the vast types of needs each population exhibits, various different vulnerable populations, and the role public health nurses hold during outbreaks or pandemics. Public health nurses play important roles in the community by investigating the needs of the community, the various populations present in communities, developing plans of action to better assist the needs of the community, providing education, coordinating various resources, and many other different roles. It has been particularly interesting to learn about the varying needs, and how public health nurses can assist with those needs, in vulnerable populations. Populations, such as the elderly, immigrants, homeless, certain ethnicities, rural individuals, and many more, have specific health risks and needs which all need to be addressed with individuals care plans. Additionally, I have become aware of the significant lack of funding, and occasionally support, by both the public and government entities for public health offices, services, and employees. Seeing as public health nurses, and public health in general, are key to prevention strategies, it would make sense to provide additional funding and support for this area in order to increase community health and decrease burden on the health care system.