The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community Assignment
Using Chapter 2 in the course textbook, your assigned reading on the role of the nurse in a specific public health setting, and this week’s media presentation, address the following in a 2- to 3-page paper: IN APA format
Trace the history of the public health nurse including the contributions made by Lillian Wald and the Henry Street Settlement. Also, summarize the role of the nurse in the practice setting assigned. Include the following in your summary:
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- Explain how the core functions of community/public health nursing and the standards of practice are met with that specific role.
- Describe the population served by the nurse in this role.
- Which interventions might the nurse in this role utilize?
- Explain the level of practice used in this practice setting (primary/secondary/tertiary).
- Describe an ethical dilemma that might be encountered in this nursing role.
The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community Assignment
The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community/Public Health Nurse
When considering the evolution of healthcare and the role of the nurse in the United
States, many people might first consider this in the context of the hospital setting. While the history of acute care is an important area to consider, it is imperative that equal attention be given to the history of public health and the role played by the nurse in this segment of the healthcare continuum. The purpose of this paper is to outline the history of the public health nurse and to specifically look at the role of nursing in
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PUBLIC HEALTH AND ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE
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Historically, public health nurses have worked to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations by striving to optimize health and social conditions. The population targeted by this profession is still consistent with this premise in the 21st century. Public health nurses in this day and age still work with vulnerable groups, but also with the general public. In public health nursing today, “high-risk, vulnerable populations are often the focus of care and may include the frail elderly, homeless individuals, sedentary individuals, smokers, teen mothers, and those at risk for a specific disease” (Kulbok, Thatcher, Park, & Meszaros, 2012, para 3)
Impact on Nursing Practice
The role of the community or public health nurse in regards to hospice care is the position to be elaborated upon for this assignment. Generally, in order for a patient to qualify for healthcare coverage for hospice care, they must have a life expectancy of six months or less.
Traditionally, people have considered patients with cancer to be the primary recipients of hospice care, but most any terminal disease process should qualify for this in home end of life care if the patient’s needs can be adequately met. There are also hospice care facilities where the patient is either transferred to a unit specified for this level of care, or a patient
