Open AccessPublic Health Nurses for Virginia’s Future: A Collaborative Project to Increase the Number of Nursing Students Choosing a Career in Public Health Nursing
Author(s) -
Martha W. Moon,
JoAnne Kirk Henry,
Karen Connelly,
Phyllis Kirsch
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2004.055368
Subject(s) - public health , public health nursing , workforce , nursing , population , diversity (politics) , health care , population health , medicine , nurse education , environmental health , sociology , political science , anthropology , law
A shift in the role of public health practice in the United States to population-focused care, together with demographic shifts increasing the diversity and age of the population, has created a need for a public health workforce more highly skilled in community and population-based practices. Despite this need, few changes have been made in the pattern of field placements for nursing students, in part because many public health nurses in population-focused roles are unfamiliar with models of successful student fieldwork in their areas. We describe the Public Health Nurses for Virginia's Future project, a successful project undertaken by nurse educators and public health leaders to increase the number of highly qualified graduates working in state and local health departments.