Leveling public health nursing (PHN) competencies: Educating the next generation of PHN leaders

Background: An evidence-based approach to preparing generalists (pre-licensure) and specialists in PHN recommends that educational programs should be competency based to assure graduates are prepared with the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge for practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) new “Essentials” documents include increasingly more population related language and PHN faculty are challenged to articulate what differentiates core nursing content from PHN specialty knowledge/competencies. Additionally, as advanced generalist and BSN to DNP programs develop, faculty are faced with distinguishing the generalist versus advanced generalist competencies and in turn, the PHN specialist competencies at the MSN versus DNP level. This challenge provides the opportunity for faculty in PHN to develop specific criteria for competencies across practice levels, and use these to educate and evaluate generalist and specialist students for practice proficiency. Description: This presentation describes the innovative efforts of faculty at one university in differentiating PHN competencies and core content from advanced generalist to the DNP specialist level. The process included: (a) mapping the DNP AACN Essentials to the newly revised Council of Linkages/Quad Council PHN competencies, (b) differentiating competency levels across the advanced generalist to PHN DNP level, (c) determining core PHN content for each level, and (d) identifying measurement criteria for documenting competency achievement. Lessons Learned: Three Advanced PHN nursing faculty mapped 76 Quad Council competencies to 8 DNP Essentials. Using a systems framework (micro, mezzo, macro), 135 competency statements in total were written for each level of practice (advanced generalist, MSN specialist, DNP specialist). The work was then reviewed and validated by additional faculty. We are completing efforts at differentiating the core PHN content and corresponding measurement criteria for each level of practice and these results will be shared. Recommendations: Future steps should include validation by practice leaders. As very few advanced PHN programs are competency based, this work helps inform what the competencies, core content, and measurement criteria would be across degree programs and helps inform the development of a DNP in PHN.