WHAT IS COMMUNITY NURSING? AN ULTIMATE GUIDE
A community nurse or a public health nurse performs the basic role and responsibilities of nurses. Community nursing includes providing communities and populations with health services, preventative care, assistance, and health awareness. According to a reliable source, “Public health nursing is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences.” A community nurse or public health nurse doesn’t need to work directly with patients; their major job role is to support and help communities.
Qualification for Community Nursing
Public health nurses serve as a mediator between the clinical arena and local services. They adopt a social health paradigm to promote and give the community’s healthcare access power. A bachelor’s degree in nursing is required along with the experience or qualification of a specific niche. A master’s degree would be a great help but it is not essential. Moreover, your experience will boost the power of your resume.
Who all are Community Nurses?
Community nursing is the practice of providing nursing care outside of acute hospitals, such as in homes, offices for general practitioners, community hospitals, jails, schools, and nursing homes. A degree recognised by the the Nursing and Midwifery Council and one to two years of experience working as a licenced adult nurse are prerequisites for becoming a community nurse in various nations.
Job Role of Public Health Nurse
A regular nurse treats various patients a day and provides them with one-to-one care and treatment, and a community nurse does just the opposite. They think for communities and public welfare. These are the job roles or the work done by Public health nurses-
- Instruction or Education on Well-being
- Engage in Communities
- Creating a secure and wholesome atmosphere
- Avoids neglect and health exploitation
- Create or reform the policies as per requirements
- Works and plans to the improve communities
- Promote health safety measures
Whatever a community nurse is doing directly depends on the type of communities they are serving, and like a school going students need a different way of care and a disabled person requires a separate way of treatment.
Which Skills are required for a Community Health Nurse?
Community nurses rely on the public survey data and plan everything accordingly. The basic skills that are necessary for a public health nurse are mentioned below-
Analysis –The nurse should know how to analyze given data and how to put it to use. Also, they may need to understand and study the community they are going to work for.
Planning and Implementation- The planning of the programs that are going to implement and the process of developing a policy is a must.
Communication- To cover the gap between the public and leaders, a nurse works as a bridge and has to communicate on various levels.
Finance Management- The foremost thing that has to be considered during a plan, is the finances. The skill to manage the budgets for community welfare is a must-have skill.
Conclusion
Being a community nurse is quite satisfying, you serve society and your skills are put to good use. But it is not easy to find a vacancy that fits your profile, which is where a nursing agency comes to the rescue. A nursing agency in Melbourne like caring 24/7 is the perfect place for nurses looking to serve the community.
