Online Program

322614
Colorado's Public Health Nurse Practice Council


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Kimberly Boyd, RN, NP, ND, Public Health Consulting, Lolina, Inc., Boulder, CO
Public health nurses (PHN) play a key role in the delivery of public health services throughout Colorado. To support PHNs in their diverse roles, the Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado (PHNAC) developed the “Practice Council” in 2010, focusing on promoting and advancing the professional role of public health nursing in Colorado. The purpose of this presentation twofold:  To share the history, purpose, mission and structure of this model; And to disseminate the impactful efforts of the Practice Council on the work of PHNs across the state.

PHNAC’s Practice Council is comprised of a governing board and five workgroups representing PHNs from multiple agencies across the state.  It plays a key role in connecting rural and urban PHNs from multiple sub-specialties in a unified statewide representation of PHN practice.   Each work group is focused on specific areas of public health nursing practice and are as follows: PHN Competencies, PHN Practice and Research, PHN Support and Development, PHN Advocacy and PHN Hot Topics.  This presentation will additionally discuss the specific contributions of these workgroups. 

The presence of an organization dedicated to advancing PHN practice is critical to the future success of public health nursing, which is a unique specialty combining expertise from both nursing and public health.  In this dynamic health care and public health environment, the Practice Council is cognizant of advancing the practice of public health nursing through shared knowledge, skills and resources that honor the distinctive contributions of PHNs to the one body of public health work.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe the history, purpose, mission and structure of PHNAC’s Practice Council. Explain the value of the structure of PHNAC’s Practice Council. Discuss the role of PHNAC’s Practice Council Workgroups in moving data to action for the advancement of the practice of public health nursing in Colorado.

Keyword(s): Nurses/Nursing, Workforce Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the PHNAC Practice Council Chariperson and a member of the Executive Board of PHNAC.
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.