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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Kathleen A. Baldwin, PhD RN¹, L. Michele Issel, PhD RN², Roberta L. Lyons, MPH¹, and UIC APHNE Grant Project¹. (1) College of Nursing, University of Illinois-Chicago, One Illini Drive, Peoria Regional Program, Peoria, IL 61615, 309-671-8467, kbaldwin@uic.edu, (2) School of Public Health, University of Illinois-Chicago, 1603 W Taylor Street (MC 923), Community Health Sciences Division, Chicago, IL 60612

Although public health nursing (PHN) encompasses a large segment of the nursing population, when the public and nurses think of a nurse, the image of a hospital nurse comes to mind. Our inability to explain the role and importance of public health nurses has resulted in both low visibility and a poor public image. These problems compound the shortage of nurses in public health and threaten the continued existence of public health nursing. We therefore undertook development of a statewide promotional campaign aimed at increasing the visibility and understanding of PHN. Over the past four years of a five-year federal grant, a group of approximately 100 public health nurses from academia and practice have worked to “identify themselves in one cohesive image that could be used for promotion of the profession.” In statewide meetings, faculty, students, and practitioners developed initial concepts and refined definitions and images of PHN. Recognizing our limited abilities in terms of art, graphic design, and media, we partnered with a university art department to further the development of our PHN image and marketing efforts. Students in a “corporate standards and branding” course were instructed to create campaign designs and artwork to establish an overall ‘tone of voice' reflective of the positions, roles, nature, and importance of PHN. Their product will be produced and premiered at the state's annual public health conference, with subsequent mailings to local health departments and agencies healthcare for their use in promoting PHN.

Learning Objectives: