The role of the community and public health nurse Community and public health care nursing is a different type of nursing than that of a clinical nurse. The patients people in the community that have a specific needs, the focus is on one major population or a health care issue within a community. The role of these nurses is to provide care to populations that may not otherwise receive care, or provide education about certain conditions, and develop strategies on how to treat and prevent complications based on evidenced based practices. In order to deliver this type of care, a community or public health nurse must have an educational background that includes a strong research base regarding public and community health issues, additionally these nurses must have a pulse on the public and what resources are available to fill the needs of the public. Public health nurses must have excellent critical thinking skills, in that if presented with a disease process that is a community based illness, then they must investigate the origination, recognize that there may be multiple factors involved and diagnose and develop a plan of care to treat. A community or public health nurse is an autonomous figure in that they must treat each case as an individual case until or unless there are similar cases. in the case of individual cases, a diagnosis and treatment plan based on evidenced based practices must be put into place, taking into consideration, the patients resources and the community resources available, and implement education and empowerment as much as possible.
Chapter: 43 An occupational nurse works in an autonomous fashion, the main scope of practice is to ensure that employees and the workplace environment is a safe one, and this is accomplished through worker assessments and workplaces assessments, ensuring that the employees understand safety requirements and how to reduce illness, accidents and injuries. Additionally, ensuring that the place of employment is compliant with all health and safety codes, and strive to prevent occupational health hazards. An occupational nurse also helps in the management and planning of any potential disasters, and educating employees on disaster drill and preparedness. Like all other nursing positions, there are levels of care primary, secondary and tertiary. the levels are unique to each work environment and the population within the workplace, but the same principal applies as in any other health care situation.

References:

Rogers, B. (2014). The nurse in occupational health. In Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (Ed).
Public health nursing; population-centered health care in the community. (Rev. 8th ed.)
Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2014). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community (8th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier.