Community based and community focused: nursing education in community health

Nurses have always cared for individuals, families, groups, and communities in their practice. Recently there has been an increase in the focus on nurses working outside of the hospital, primarily in community-based settings that focus on individuals and families. There is also increasing emphasis on community-focused nursing care with the community as the client. In some nursing programs, nurse educators have tried to adjust to this change by increasing the amount of time that nursing students spend in the community. The focus of this experience ranges from individuals to populations. This article describes a one-semester community health course in a baccalaureate nursing program that gives students both theoretical and practical knowledge in caring for individuals, families, groups, and communities. This allows for practice and understanding of both community-based and community-focused nursing care.