[Profile of the community health nurse]

This article highlights the profile of the community health nurse in the South African context. Our changing society and also the move in emphasis to primary health care services places great emphasis on the important role of the community health nurse in the health services of the future. A brief historical overview gives the development of the training for community health nurses in this country from the traditional health visitor, to the present day comprehensive basic training where community health is seen as part of the basic training for nurses. The answer to questions such as who and what is the community health nurse in South Africa is discussed and some essential characteristics of this nurse are described. Recent South African Nursing Council statistics reveal that only 7 percent of all registered nurses have the additional qualification in community health. Other statistics provide a view on numbers of registered nurses with the additional qualification in the different race groups.