Does advanced community/public health nursing practice have a future?

Area of Science:

• Community health nursing
• Public health nursing
• Population health management

Background:

• Increasing demand for healthcare professionals skilled in population and community health.
• Master's-prepared nurses in community/public health nursing possess relevant expertise.
• Current definitions of advanced practice nursing often exclude population and community health management.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine the current and future status of master's-level community/public health nursing.
• Address the "status problem" impacting these programs.
• Propose solutions to ensure the viability of this specialty.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of existing literature and professional organization stances.
• Examination of nursing leadership perspectives.
• Review of state nurse practice acts and definitions of advanced practice.

Main Results:

• Master's-level community/public health nursing is crucial for population health.
• Discrepancies exist between nursing leaders' views and official definitions of advanced practice.
• Exclusion from advanced practice definitions creates challenges for these programs.

Conclusions:

• Master's-level community/public health nursing faces significant challenges due to definitional exclusions.
• Urgent need to redefine advanced practice nursing to include population and community health.
• Strategic solutions are required to support and advance this vital nursing specialty.