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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rosemary V. Chaudry, RN, PhD, MHA, College of Nursing, Ohio State University, 1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43302, 740-389-4940, chaudry.1@osu.edu and Julia E. Miller, RN, MSN, Med Central College of Nursing, 335 Glessner Avenue, Mansfield, OH 44903.

This presentation focuses on a successful collaboration undertaken between nursing practice and education in cooperation with a state health department to revise an orientation program for new public health nurses (PHNs), with the goal of making the program more streamlined and relevant to current PHN practice. After identifying a need for revision to the existing orientation program, public health (PH) nursing directors spearheaded the effort to revise the program and enlisted academic partners in the effort. Under the leadership of the PH nursing directors, through the state PH association nursing director section, the orientation program was changed from an 8-day, 48-hour program to a 24-hour program offered over 3 days. Day 1, which provides an overview of PH organization, and Day 2, which focuses on PHN competency-based content, are offered at a centralized location for new PHNs from across the state. Day 3, which is devoted to specific PH issues at the regional/local level, is held in each of the four regions of the state. Nursing directors attended a 1-day ‘sneak preview” of the entire orientation program, and their evaluation feedback was incorporated into final revisions of the program. The first offering of the program is scheduled for March 2006. Evaluation data will be collected through 1) objective-driven forms at the end of training day, 2) focus group discussions at the end of Day 2, and 3) evaluation forms that will be sent to attendees approximately four months following the program. This last strategy was specifically incorporated to provide the new PHNs' with an opportunity to evaluate the course usefulness after several months in their new PHN role and in their individual PH practice settings. This presentation will discuss the new program content and format; strategies to successful collaborations among practice, academia, and administration; program evaluation results; and lessons learned as well as the on-going benefits of collaboration between PH nursing practice and PH nursing education.

Learning Objectives:

• List three areas of public health nursing (PHN) content included in a PHN orientation program.
• Identify three possible benefits of a collaboration between PH nursing and academia.

Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Workforce

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No