The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #38318

Lauren Clark, RN, PhD¹, Amy Barton, RN, PhD¹, Sarah Combs, RN, MPH², and Kristen Brown, RN¹. (1) School of Nursing C-288, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, 303-315-1680, lauren.clark@uchsc.edu, (2) Rocky Mountain Survivor Center, 1547 Gaylord Street, Denver, CO 80206

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing faculty unveiled plans for a beginning faculty practice in public health two years ago at APHA. The Public Health Nursing Outreach for New Americans (or PHNONA) continues as a nursing faculty practice serving refugee and immigrant populations. Since its inception, the PHNONA practice has grown and prospered in the Denver area. Collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Survivor Center resulted in a contract to provide public health nursing services to survivors of torture. A grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust funded year-round clinical supervision in a predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrant community. This presentation reviews the expansion and growing pains of PHNONA as a faculty practice and clinical education model in public health nursing. We consider the implications of a PHN education model that addresses immigration, racial and ethnic disparities in health, and community-campus partnerships in this era of a nursing shortage. University support and community collaboration have been critical to PHNONA’s success, and evaluation data from community partners and students identify strengths in this innovative educational model. Faculty feedback about public health nursing clinical education conducted outside a traditional health department setting is also considered. Concerns about the mix of students in nursing programs and their preparation to succeed in increasingly diverse public health nursing environments are also explored. Finally, we outline our future plans for making PHNONA sustainable and of ongoing value to students, nurse educators, and the public.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate the needs in refugee and immigrant communities that can be met through PHN programming.
• Describe the strengths and weaknesses of a PHN practice model (such as PHNONA) that serves refugee and immigrant communities and also strives to provide high-quality clinical experiences to PHN students.

Keywords: Immigrants, Nurse Managed Centers

Related Web page: son.uchsc.edu/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.