Advocating for the public health nursing role

Socioeconomic influences have influenced hiring and support for public health nursing positions. The role of the public health nurse is often misunderstood. Public health nurses in Colorado prioritized key functions and requested assistance with advocating for their roles with a variety of audiences including policy makers, the public and members of the public health team. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of public health nurses in Colorado. Four focus groups were conducted with 88 public health nurses using open ended questions to provide depth of understanding of the role of the public health nurse. Thematic categories and major and minor thematic clusters emerged. Follow up telephone interviews were conducted with individuals to provide further depth and understanding to the lived experience of the public health nurse in both rural and urban settings. Application of study findings to the Cornerstones of Public Health Nursing and public health nursing competencies are explored. Findings from the study were used to develop a “VOICE” marketing campaign, including messaging of the professional role in the context of the public health team, branding and a toolkit for public health nurses to use in a variety of settings. Implementation strategies will be described with associated outcomes.