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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Gretchen Sampson, RN, BSN, MPH, Polk County Health Department, 100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 180, Balsam Lake, WI 54810, 715-485-8506, gretchens@co.polk.wi.us and Elizabeth Giese, RN, MSPH, Division of Public Health - Western Regional Office, 610 Gibson St, Suite 3, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Public health professionals need to be competent in diverse aspects of practice (1). In Wisconsin, public health nurses (PHNs) believe that social justice is a cornerstone of practice for which they need to increase competence. While this competence has not been specifically delineated nationally in the Core Competencies, it remains a grounding tenet of practice. Wisconsin's 2010 state health plan has also identified workforce development and social justice issues as priorities. In response, the 8th annual, statewide PHN conference (Taking Action in Today's Reality: Renewing PHNs Commitment to Social Justice) was held in August, 2005, with the goal of increased competence for PHNs and PHN faculty in social justice. The social justice objectives for the conference were addressed through keynote, breakout, and poster sessions for students, faculty, PHN staff, and PHN administrators. Through this content, as well as the practical example of donating money in the speaker's names to local charities in lieu of an honorarium, the conference ignited a renewed interest in applying the ethic of social justice in everyday PHN practice. While conference evaluations indicated PHN knowledge was increased related to the issue of social justice, the more than 250 participants indicated a need for additional intervention-focused training. The 9th Annual Public Health Nurse Conference will now focus on operationalizing social justice through training related to the PHN intervention of advocacy (2). This conference will focus on strategies for incorporating social justice and the intervention of advocacy into PHN practice. This workforce development initiative will increase the competence of PHNs, and potentially impact the social and economic conditions that impact population health.

1. Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, 2001. 2. Public Health Nursing Interventions, Minnesota Department of Health, 2001.

Learning Objectives: