Careers - Career as a Public Health Nurse
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What does a Public Health Nurse do?
- Assists communities, families and individuals to take responsibility for maintaining and/or improving their health by increasing their knowledge of their control over and their influence on health determinants.
- Facilitates and mediates to enhance strategies that assist communities, groups or individuals to anticipate, cope with and manage maturational changes and the environment.
- Initiates/participates in health promotion activities in partnership with others including the community, colleagues and other sectors.
- Applies epidemiological principles and knowledge of disease process in the management and control of communicable disease such as prevention techniques, infection control and outbreak management.
- Uses strategies to reduce communicable disease risk factors in the community such as: surveillance, immunization, early case identification, contact tracing, episodic care, health education and case management.
- Uses appropriate technology for reporting and follow-up.
- Uses appropriate strategies to reduce risk factors regarding chronic disease and disability.
- Uses appropriate strategies to encourage the modification of lifestyles that are not conducive to good health and support those which are.
Also ....
- Is responsible for the workload (key responsibilities) assigned in a geographic area, team or group and works in cooperation with all staff in the local official health agency.
- Provides services in a variety of community settings (i.e. home school, hospital, malls, workplace, etc.).
- Is an active participant on interdisciplinary committees and a variety of program work groups.
- Maintains and completes records, reports and statistics necessary for program functioning and evaluation according to agency policy and procedure.
- Is responsible for professional competence under appropriate legislation, the College of Nurses of Ontario and within Agency policy.
- Motivated to maintain self-development and professional growth.
- Uses communication skills to develop helping relationships, facilitate groups and promote involvement in decision-making.
- Acts as a preceptor to new staff and to nursing students assigned to the agency for clinical experience.
- Serves on committees both inter and intra agency as assigned.
- And of course…..other duties as assigned.
Submitted by the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit 613-345-5685. |
