Community and public health nurses have crucial roles in promoting health and reducing illness and injury in populations, families, and individuals. While public health nurses offer healthcare services to communities and individuals who cannot access services, community health nurses help in advocating and formulating policies for eliminating healthcare disparities. Public health nurses work in health clinics, schools, community centers, and public health agencies.
Public health nurses work to promote wellness and prevent illness by focusing on educating at-risk groups and individuals on living healthy lifestyles and preventing diseases. Some specific roles of public health nurses include evaluation of patients health and recommending treatment plans, provision of referrals, and administration of care and treatments. Also, they inform patients concerning support services and make patient follow-ups (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2019).
Community health nurses are very important especially in areas where healthcare is not easily accessible. This implies that nurses can travel far and wide to provide healthcare services. Just like public health nurses, community health nurses also provide treatment to patients and educate communities on how to maintain their health to avert the prevalence of diseases and curb preventable deaths. They participate in planning health education campaigns in collaboration with community leaders.
