Partnerships for Learning Population-Based Public Health Nursing: Web-Delivered Continuing Education for Public Health Nurse Preceptors

Aims: Government programs and the Norwegian Directorate of Health give public health nurses in Norway an explicit role in population-based health promotion and disease-prevention work. The aim of this paper is to explore Norwegian public health nurses’ experiences with population-based work. Methods: A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was adopted, involving face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 23 public health nurses from urban and rural districts in two counties in Norway. Results: Three themes were identified: the predominance of work at the individual level, a lack of resources, and adherence to administrative directives. The interviews revealed that the public health nurses were mostly occupied with individual problem-solving activities. Population-based work was hardly prioritized, mostly because of a lack of resources and a lack of recognition of the population-based role of public health nurses. Conclusions:The study indicates contradictions between the public health nursing practice related to population-based work and the direction outlined by the government and the public health nursing curriculum, which may mean that the public health nursing role is not sufficiently clarified. The implementation of practice models and administrative directives and resources, as well as an explicit emphasis on population health in public health nursing education, can contribute to increased population-based interventions. Greater knowledge of and emphasis on population-based work in public health nursing are needed.

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Effectiveness of Health Guidance Simulation in Community Settings for Public Health Nursing Students: A Preliminary Study

SAGE Open Nursing ◽

10.1177/23779608211001355 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 237796082110013

Author(s):

Kyoko Yoshioka-Maeda ◽

Kazuko Naruse

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Public Health Nurse ◽

Public Health Nursing ◽

Community Settings ◽

Self Confidence ◽

Mother And Child ◽

Post Test ◽

Health Nursing ◽

Health Guidance

Introduction Simulation-based learning is a relatively new concept in public health nursing education, and little is known about the efficacy of this approach for teaching of health guidance. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of health guidance simulation in community settings for public health nursing students. Methods Using a pre/post-test design, 29 public health nursing students in their third year participated in a high-fidelity simulation program with standardized patients. We developed six scenarios on health guidance for three themes (mother and child, tuberculosis, and adult occupational health) and practice guidelines for the standardized patients to act and assist in understanding of the purpose of the course. Data were collected at baseline and after the simulation sessions through evaluation sheets that the students placed in a designated box on campus. Changes in the level of self-confidence of the students were evaluated based on the “practical skills required for public health nurses and achievement level at graduation” of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the skills in the minimum requirements for public health nurse education defined by the Japan Association of Public Health Nurse Educational Institutions. Results The total score for self-confidence and the mean self-confidence scores for health guidance skills for mother and child, tuberculosis, and adult occupational health nursing were significantly higher post-test compared to pre-test ( p < 0.001). Conclusion These results indicate that high-fidelity simulation focused on health guidance in community settings can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practice of students.

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