 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Noël Bazini-Barakat, RN, MPH, Public Health Nursing Administration, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 251 North Figueroa St., Rm 347, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-989-7060, noelbar@aol.com
Nurses often enter the specialty of Public Health Nursing (PHN) with little to no experience in public health. For many, community health nursing rotations in nursing school included minimal, if any, population-based education. For others, the population-based education received in nursing school may have occurred several years prior to their decision to enter PHN, with little reinforcement during their acute-care nursing experience. Simultaneously, due to limited staffing and inadequate infrastructure, many public health jurisdictions have had limited ability to develop an adequate orientation plan and guide for newly entering public health nurses. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, PHN Administration recognized the need for uniform and standardized clinical orientation of newly hired public health nurses. As a result, through the work of a multilevel committee, the PHN Clinical Orientation Guide was created. The Guide includes the roles and responsibilities for new public health nurses, advisors, supervisors, and managers. A section on adult learning assists advisors and supervisors in identifying best teaching strategies for new employees. An introduction is provided to assist the new public health nurse in understanding his/her role in developing a community health improvement plan and an outline is provided to begin a community profile. A sample three-month calendar provides guidance for the clinical experience of the public health nurse, and knowledge and skills inventories are provided to assure that all basic components are covered during the orientation. Finally, several tools are provided to assure a comprehensive, uniform orientation for all newly hired public health nurses.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Education, Staff Retention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Public Health Nursing Administration
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment