Describe your role in nursing in an anonymous company or hospital. What are the similarities and differences between your current (long term care floor nurse) role and the public health nurse? Who is the focus in your current role: the individual, community or population? Explain your answer, include a definition/description of each.
Role in Nursing in a Long-Term Care Facility
In my current role as a long-term care floor nurse in an anonymous company, my primary responsibility is to provide care and support to elderly residents who are unable to care for themselves due to physical, cognitive, or other health-related impairments. As a nurse on the long-term care floor, my tasks include administering medications, monitoring vital signs, assisting with personal care activities, managing acute and chronic conditions, and collaborating with other health professionals to ensure the holistic well-being of our residents.
The similarities between my current role as a long-term care floor nurse and a public health nurse lie in the overarching goal of promoting the health and well-being of individuals. Both roles require a strong foundation in clinical skills, critical thinking, and communication. However, there are also significant differences between the two roles, particularly in their focus and scope of practice.
One fundamental difference is the focus of care. As a long-term care floor nurse, my primary focus is on providing direct care and attending to the immediate needs of individual residents within the long-term care facility. My role revolves around meeting the physical, emotional, and social needs of each resident and ensuring their safety and comfort on a day-to-day basis. The goal is to optimize the quality of life and promote independence among the individuals under my care.
In contrast, the public health nurse’s focus is on the health needs of communities or populations. Public health nurses work to prevent diseases, promote health education, and implement strategies to improve the overall health status of a community. They assess the health needs of a population, develop and implement health programs, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on a larger scale.
Public health nursing involves a broader scope of practice compared to the long-term care floor nurse role. Public health nurses may engage in activities such as health promotion, disease prevention, surveillance, policy development, and community organizing. They work collaboratively with various stakeholders, including community members, government agencies, and healthcare organizations, to address public health issues and implement evidence-based interventions.
To better understand the focus difference, it is crucial to define the terms “individual,” “community,” and “population” in the context of nursing. An individual refers to a single person who seeks healthcare services and receives personalized care. In my current role as a long-term care floor nurse, my focus is predominantly on meeting the needs of each individual resident, tailoring care plans to their specific conditions and preferences.
A community, on the other hand, refers to a group of individuals living in a specific geographic area who share common interests, characteristics, or concerns. Public health nurses take a community-focused approach, emphasizing the health needs and concerns of the community as a whole. They work to identify health determinants, establish partnerships, and implement interventions that address the unique challenges faced by the community.
On a broader scale, a population encompasses a larger group of individuals with similar characteristics or health concerns, but not necessarily sharing a specific geographic location. Public health nurses analyze population-level data, identify health disparities, and design interventions that target the population as a whole. Their aim is to improve health outcomes across a wider population, considering factors such as social determinants of health, environmental factors, and access to healthcare services.
In summary, as a long-term care floor nurse, my current role primarily focuses on meeting the needs of individual residents within the facility. The public health nurse, in contrast, adopts a broader and community-oriented perspective, aiming to improve the health of communities or populations by implementing preventive measures, promoting health education, and addressing social determinants of health. While both roles share the common goal of promoting health and well-being, the scope and focus of care differ significantly between the two.