 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Glenda Kelly1, Louise C. Miller, PhD, RN2, Susan Devaney, EdD RN, CS2, and Alice Kuehn, PhD, RN, CS, FNP2. (1) Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570, 573-751-6170, KellyG@dhss.state.mo.us, (2) Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia, S303 School of Nursing Building, Columbia, MO 65211
As demands on the public health workforce increase, it is critical for public health nurses to practice population-based public health and understand their responsibilities in an expanded role. An assessment of nurses practicing in local public health agencies in Missouri revealed that most of the nurses do not have the skills and knowledge required for population based practice. To address this gap and expand the vision of practicing public health nurses, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) partnered with the University of Missouri-Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing (SON) to address educational preparation and role development. The HRSA funded project, Excellence in Public Health Nursing, is two-pronged and includes an on-line student course in population-based practice for ADN prepared nurses and a leadership/mentor development course for experienced nurses. Experienced nurses serve as ‘cyberspace’ mentors to on-line students. This paper addresses issues concerning the mentoring, experience including initial mentor preparation; process issues related to on-line mentoring; and professional development of the mentors as a result of participating in the project. Mentors reported increased understanding of nursing role with documented changes in public health nursing practice
At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to: ·Describe the Excellence in Public Health Nursing Project ·Describe key elements for mentor preparation ·Discuss the issues related distance mentoring; ·Describe the professional benefits to participating in a mentoring experience.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Public Health Nursing,
Related Web page: www/nursingfutures.org/hrsa/main.html
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of Missouri-Columbia, Sinclair School of Nursing
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
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.