Surveying public health nurses' continuing education needs: collaboration of practice and academia

In the last twenty years, entry level requirements for public health nursing have shifted to less and less educational preparation. Many agencies hire registered nurses with associate degree or diploma preparation who have no experience. The shift in entry level requirements has challenged public health nursing administrators and educators to examine continuing education needs to meet knowledge deficits among public health nurses. The study reported here presents findings from a national survey of 56 state and territorial health departments. The results clarify the continuing education needs and issues related to the educational gaps of public health nurses of the 1990s.