Enhancing the policy competence of Public Health Nurses via education

Background: Public Health Nurses have great potential to impact policy as part of their practice. This potential is enhanced if they are policy competent, that is, able to analyze the impact of policy on practice and simultaneously exert influence effectively in the public policymaking process (Longest, 2006). The Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations' competencies for public health nurses include policy competencies at the social/governmental level, for both specialist and generalist Public Health Nurses. The challenge for educators is determining how best to ensure that students achieve competency at the appropriate level. Description: Faculty in the Advanced Public Health Nursing program at a Midwest university worked on leveling competencies and content in health policy across generalist and specialist levels of Public Health Nursing practice, so that nurses at each level are taught to achieve the appropriate policy competency for practice, and these knowledge and skills build across levels of practice. This paper will present examples of curricular content and exercises to help students understand the Public Health Nursing role in social/governmental policy and become competent in that role. Recommendations: Public Health Nurses should be taught to be policy competent, with specific measurable outcomes appropriate to level of practice.