Toward redefining public health nursing in Canada: challenges for education

Faced with a recent shift from a hospital-based to a community-based health care system, Canadian public health nurses are being challenged to redefine their roles. To empower these nurses to respond effectively, it is imperative that the profession be reclarified as a specialty with a distinct philosophy and mission. Nursing education is key to facilitate this process, and public health nursing educators must lead the way. Certain barriers hinder the response of public health nursing education, and four areas are suggested in which efforts to advance public health nursing may be best directed.