Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105351

Norman L. Gray, PHN, MS, MSN, Education and Professional Development Unit, County of Los Angeles, Department of Health Services, Public Health Nursing, 241 N. Figueroa Street, Room 347, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Roberto Avitia, PHN, BSN, Public Health Nursing Administration, County of Los Angeles, Department of Health Services, Public Health, 241 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 347, Los Angeles, CA 90012, and Cherié R. Forsha, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS, Public Health Nursing Administration, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Public Health, 241 North Figueroa, Suite 347, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-989-7095, cforsha@dhs.co.la.ca.us.

One of the Quad Council's ten essential services is “assuring a competent public health workforce”. In the County of Los Angeles, Department of Health Services, Public Health Nursing we have a workforce of approximately 400 bachelor prepared public health nurses providing community services and 80 associate degree nurses providing services in our public health ambulatory care clinics. The challenge for the Education and Professional Development unit is to coordinate and provide for the training and continuing educational needs of public health nursing staff while addressing the Quad Council's PHN competencies. This presentation will share with participants a model that is used to provide the workforce with the necessary skills to deliver quality population based services in a county with 10 million residents. Highlights of the presentation will include a comprehensive knowledge and skills inventory tool that has been developed and used for the past three years as part of our new employee orientation program to document the employee's knowledge and skill acquisition. Additionally, a needs assessment tool and sample education plan that has been used by the education unit will be presented.

Learning Objectives: