NR 443 RN Community Health Nursing Week 8 Discussion Past, Present, and Future
NR 443 RN Community Health Nursing Week 8 Discussion Past, Present, and Future
NR 443 RN Community Health Nursing
Week 8 Discussion
Past, Present, and Future
There are many factors that will continue to impact community and population health.
Consider the past achievements in public health as many have implications around the globe.
Describe a global health concern that has impacted your community or those you care for.
Discuss what surveillance data could be pulled from an electronic health record (EHR) you have used or currently use in your nursing practice.
Take a moment to review the Twitter feed for compelling Tweets that are related to informatics, global health, and population health outcomes.
Share an overview the Tweet and how it is likely to impact future collaborative trends in community health.
Compose a 280-character or fewer Tweet that describes what you would like to see as a Tweet in the next decade related to public health achievements. Please try to be realistic, but also be visionary. Remember Twitter only allows 280 characters (this includes spaces, etc.) so you will need to be concise. It should include a hashtag. Include a reference URL if applicable. Share this Tweet in the discussion. (Note: A Twitter account is not required nor share your Tweet on social media).
Your discussion post should look like:
Paragraph one: Describe a global health concern that has impacted your community or those you care for
Paragraph two: Discuss what surveillance data could be pulled from an electronic health record (EHR) you have used or currently use in your nursing practice.
Paragraph three: Share information from a Tweet and how it is likely to impact future collaborative trends in community health.
Paragraph four: Compose a 280-character Tweet that describes what you would like to see as a Tweet in the next decade related to public health achievements.
Resources: Where did you find your data?
Also Read: NR 443 RN Community Health Nursing Week 7 Discussion Communities and Disaster Preparedness
Example: New HIV infection rates at all-time low worldwide #primaryprevention #collaborationiskey #WeGotThis #RNsunite www.HIV.gov
ALSO READ: NR 443 RN Community Health Nursing Week 2 Assignment Direct Care Project Part 1: Assessment and Diagnosis
Do you know that public schools are part of interesting environments for a community health nurse to work in? Schools are important learning institutions where learners acquire knowledge and values that guide their behaviors in the society. They act as institutions for socialization and agents that promote the desired change in our societies. Besides being a learning institution, schools also act as an environmental risk for its learners. It predisposes them to health risks such as injuries, alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, source of communicable diseases, and social stigmatization among other undesired social behaviors. Consequently, it increases the need for community health nurses who work closely with educational stakeholders to ensure that the health needs of schools are met. Community health nurses undertake various roles including assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of interventions that are used in the school settings to minimize health risks and promote the health and wellbeing of the learners. They also work with the vulnerable populations in these settings such as the disabled, young children, learners living with chronic conditions, orphans, learners from racial and ethnic minorities, and victims of teenage pregnancies. Therefore, this research paper examines the roles of community health nurse working in public schools. It explores the community setting, health promotion nursing interventions, professional nursing organization, and the roles of the community health nurse in public schools.
Community Setting
The community setting that has been selected for this research paper is public schools. Public schools are learning institutions that are funded by the state. The learners do not pay any fee to receive the services they need in these institutions. Often, public schools have a high number of students due to free education. As a result, they are characterized by a significant mix of learners from different ethnic backgrounds. It also increases the number of vulnerable children who seek education in these settings. Some of the vulnerable populations that are found in public schools include the disabled, learners from ethnic minority groups, victims of teenage pregnancies, young children, and learners suffering from chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS that need advanced physical, emotional, and psychosocial support.
The community health nurse plays several roles in public schools. One of them is screening the children and teachers for various health problems. The nurse screens teachers for health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension and provides the needed management or referral of cases. They also screen the children for conditions such as obesity and provides the needed medical care. The community health nurse also acts as information disseminator. This role is evident from the health education they give on health-related issues to the students and teachers. The nurse educates the children on healthy lifestyles that will minimize their risks of health problems (Raingruber, 2017). Health education that the nurse gives may focus on issues such as healthy eating habits, importance of active physical activity, and abstinence or safe sexual habits to prevent teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
The community health nurse also acts as the evaluator in public school settings. H/she evaluates whether the different interventions that were embraced to improve the health of the learners and teachers were effective or not. For instance, h/she evaluates whether health education was effective in bringing behavioral change as evidenced by the adoption of practices such as hand hygiene in the school. Evaluation helps the community health nurse to explore additional ways in which the health of the learners and teachers can be improved further (McMurray, Munns & Clendon, 2019). Therefore, the community health nurse undertakes responsibilities that include screening, health education, and evaluation of health initiatives in public schools.
Health Promotion Interventions
The community health nurse engages in a wide range of health promotion interventions in public schools. One of them is health education. The nurse educates the learners and teachers about various health-related issues they are predisposed to in their environment. For instance, the nurse provides health education on issues such as sexually transmitted infections, injuries, healthy lifestyle and behaviors, and ways of preventing them for their optimal health. Health education is important since it raises their level of awareness and stimulates the adoption of healthy behaviors that promote health (Griebler et al., 2017). The second intervention that the community health nurse engages to promote health in public schools is screening. The nurse screens the children and teachers for various lifestyle and communicable diseases. Such diseases include hepatitis and diabetes among learners and teachers respectively. Screening is important since it aids in early detection and treatment of diseases. It also prevents further spread of the disease in the population. The last health promotion initiative that the nurse undertakes in public school setting is acting as an advocate. The nurse ensures that the rights of the learners and teachers are protected (Richard & Gauvin, 2017). H/she ensures that interventions that promote their health and wellbeing are embraced.
The community health nurse collaborates with various stakeholders in providing care needed in public schools. One of them is the parents. The nurse works with the parents in ensuring that the learners uphold the desired lifestyle and behavioral changes. The nurse also collaborates with the teachers of the institution. The teachers assist in the implementation of the changes that are needed to promote the health and wellbeing of the learners. The nurse also works closely with public health officials. H/she coordinates school outreach programs that aim at raising awareness about public health issues affecting school going children. The nurse also works closely with institutions of healthcare. She refers any condition that is beyond her professional scope of practice or those demanding advanced management. Religious institutions are another body that the nurse works with collaboratively when working with public schools. The institutions act as platform where the nurse expands the coverage of initiatives that aim at improving school health. Therefore, the collaboration between these stakeholders ensures that the optimum health and wellbeing of the learners are maintained.
Organization of Professional Nursing
The National Association of School Nurses is an example of a professional body that supports community health nurses working in school settings. The association was developed with the aim of protecting as well as promoting the health of students. It also aims at facilitating optimal development as well as academic advancement of the learners. The mission of the association is to optimize student health alongside learning through advancing school nursing practice. It achieves the mission through its focus on core values that include prioritizing child wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, ethics, innovation, excellence, leadership, integrity and scholarship (NASN, n.d.).
One of the professional issues that the National Association of School Nurses addresses in relation to public schools is the promotion of equity and equality in learning. The association recognizes that learners are unique beings with diverse healthcare needs. As a result, they should be treated as individuals with unique learning and health needs that should be personalized. The association also advocates for the provision of school health services irrespective of one’s background. This approach is important as it eliminates disparities among the learners due to their gender or backgrounds. Therefore, through these interventions, National Association of School Nurses has been able to promote equity and equality in schools.
Conclusion
In conclusion, community health nurses play a critical role in public schools settings. They undertake the roles of assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the interventions that are utilized to promote the health of populations in these settings. They also undertake activities that promote health such as health education, screening, and advocacy. Community health nurses work with various stakeholders in their service provision such as the parents, teachers, public health officials, religious institutions, and other healthcare providers. The National Association of School Nurses supports the community health nurses in providing appropriate school health services to those in need. Therefore, it is important that community health nurses working in public schools are supported in order to enhance the health outcomes of students and teachers.
References
Griebler, U., Rojatz, D., Simovska, V., & Forster, R. (2017). Effects of student participation in school health promotion: a systematic review. Health promotion international, 32(2), 195-206.
McMurray, A., Munns, A., & Clendon, J. (2019). Community health and wellness: Principles of primary health care. Chatswood, NSW : Elsevier Australia.
NASN. (n.d.). About. Retrieved on 21st September 2019 from https://www.nasn.org/about-nasn/about
Raingruber, B. (2017). Contemporary health promotion in nursing practice. Burlington, MA : Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Richard, L., & Gauvin, L. (2017). Building and implementing ecological health promotion interventions. Health Promotion in Canada: New Perspectives on Theory, Practice, Policy, and Research, 84.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.