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Whereas the practice
of the Registered Nurse is focused on individual patients, the practice
of the Public Health Nurse is focused on populations. Professional activities
include epidemiological studies, community education and program planning.
The Public Health Nurse functions within a variety of community-based
settings such as public health agencies, schools, workplaces and managed
care organizations. The Public Health Nurse does not have prescriptive
authority.
The Public Health Nurse has usually attained a bachelors degree in nursing,
although some states allow the RN with a two year associate degree to
practice in the public health field.
Bachelors level nursing programs have public health content while two
year associate programs do not. Specialist in Public Health Nursing requires
a Masters in Public Health (MPH) or in Nursing (MS). The PhD degree is
most often utilized by the Public Health Nurse in teaching, research or
administration.
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