185274 Facing the public health nursing shortage: Ensuring a competent public health nursing leadership workforce through succession planning

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sandra Schoenfisch, PhD, RN , Office of Public Health Nursing, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
How do we address the public health nursing shortage? Who will succeed our current public health nursing leaders? How many public health nurses will retire in five years? This program will review the Florida Department of Health (DOH), Office of Public Health Nursing, use of data to engage nursing leaders in a statewide succession planning initiative. Through succession planning, organizations are better prepared to face the shortage of the nation's largest public health workforce – public health nurses.

Steps in the process include: collection and analysis of DOH nursing workforce data; sharing data by number, age, type, and critical positions (senior nursing leadership); and technical assistance and consultation regarding the succession planning initiative, tools, and local county health department data analysis. Public health nursing leaders were able to assess the current state of their workforce, such as number of filled and vacant positions by reviewing workforce data. These leaders were also able to distinguish competencies required for key positions, relating these characteristics to potential candidates. Tools to support local succession planning efforts were identified that include use of proactive and actionable development plans, exploration of academic options and/or educational opportunities, and other on-the-job activities such as job shadowing, key assignments, coaching, mentoring, and added responsibilities. Data is used to measure, monitor and report both individual development of the candidates, and also filling key positions as they are vacated through retirement or attrition. Succession planning is proactive and key to preparing an organization to address changes in critical positions, and workforce shortages.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to (1) utilize data to assess the current state of their public health nursing leaders workforce; (2) identify key positions that will need immediate attention for succession planning; (3) integrate succession planning within the existing health department’s business strategies

Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Workforce

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Currently, I am the Nursing Services Director in the Florida Department of Health Office of Public Health Nursing and was previously the Assistant Director of the Florida Department of Health Office of Performance Improvement. I was also the Training Coordinator and am responsible for development and annual updating of the Agency Workforce Development Plan. My responsibilities include oversight of the nursing practice programs, disaster preparedness programs, a five million dollar budget of federal and state funding. In my previous position, my responsibilities included oversight of the infrastructure that assures workforce development to support and promote progress toward the department’s mission and achievement of specific long range and short-range goals. Major areas of focus include mandatory training, core training, continuing education for health professionals and management of the Department’s statewide distance learning network which is made up of 90 down link sites. I have a diverse background including experience as a clinician, educator and administrator. I have been with the Department of Health since 1983 and taught at the undergraduate and graduate level prior to 1983. I am experienced in program planning, implementation and evaluation. In my previous position, I developed multi-media and multi-modal training programs and materials for the agency’s 16,000-member workforce. I am a member of the American Public Health Association, Florida Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, Who’s Who in American Women, and Women in Government. I have had numerous professional publications and has successfully written public health grants for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and cancer funding. She has been a consultant at both the state national level for many health and education related projects, programs and councils. I received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the American University, a Master of Science from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and completed a Ph.D. in education at Florida State University.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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See more of: Public Health Nursing