More recently, healthcare providers and social scientists began to think about a healthcare system that could work proactively. This model of healthcare is fundamentally reactive. It’s ingrained in our brains-when you’re sick, you go to the doctor. When people fall ill or become injured, the healthcare system intervenes to restore a patient’s good health. Medical practice in the United States has historically been centered on the treatment of illness. Reserve Your Spot What is a community health nurse? Get Your Nursing School Questions Answered at a Nursing Information Session Let’s take a deeper look at this powerful role within the healthcare system and what educational background community health nurses need to make an impact.
This holistic approach to healthcare draws on knowledge of nursing, social sciences, and public health. Community health nurses, also known as public health nurses, work to improve the health of a population and reduce disease and disability. Many nurses have stepped into key roles in this effort. Healthcare providers have begun to look beyond the medical care of an individual to how the overall health and safety of a community can lead to less disease, longer life expectancies, and fewer injuries.
Yet our understanding of how to provide healthcare has evolved since the role of a nurse became standard in every hospital setting. For instance, Civil War–era nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, was known as “the angel of the battlefield.” Because of their huge impact on people’s lives, our depiction of nurses can grow almost mythic. During serious illness, injury, or labor and delivery, the medical knowledge and compassionate patient care performed by nurses is vital. Transfer Credit & Other Knowledge Credit™Ĭommunities have relied on nurses for hundreds of years.Information Technology Project Management.Human Resources and Organizational Leadership.MENU Site Navigation Close navigation menu