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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kaye Bender, RN, PhD, FAAN, School of Nursing, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, 601-984-6220, kbender@son.umsmed.edu

APHA's Public Health Nursing Section brings together the expertise of public health nurses from practice, education, and research where the differences between the realities of the practice community, the innovations of educators, and the evidence-base of research can be examined collaboratively and leveraged to create stronger systems better able meet the needs of our populations. This interactive session will engage participants in reflecting on, reacting to, and informing the development of a research agenda for the APHA Public Health Nursing Section that is specific to growing a more effective and diverse public health nursing workforce.

Public health nurses are the “largest component of the workforce” in health departments (IOM, 2003) and make up the “largest identified professional group” described in the national enumeration of public health workers conducted by Gebbie and colleagues (2001). The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? goes into great depth regarding the looming crisis related to a shortage of well-trained public health workers (IOM, 2003). In addition to concerns about the adequate numbers of competent public health workers, there has been increasing discussion regarding the educational preparation of public health workers who are competent in addressing emerging public health issues, able to respond effectively to the challenges of growing health disparities, and accountable to political as well as community-level expectations. Public health nurses are in a position to take a leadership role in shaping the skills, practice, and face of the next generation of our public health workforce. This session will be an opportunity to give guidance to APHA Public Health Nursing Section efforts to strengthen our workforce through thoughtful research and a stronger evidence base.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)Describe research priorities related to the public health nursing workforce.
• 2)Analyze identified public health nursing workforce research priorities for their relationship to ultimately improving health status and eliminating health disparities.

Keywords: Workforce, Public Health Nursing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No