Objectives
To provide a detailed, up‐to‐date account of the job description and practice areas of current public health nurses.
Design and Sample
A cross‐sectional study. A sample of 824 public health nurses, 80% of public health nurses in Israel, participated in a national structured survey.
Measures
A structured questionnaire eliciting self‐reported public health nursing activities, priorities, perceived deficiencies, and job satisfaction was compiled.
Results
Nearly 70% of surveyed public health nurses provided individual‐level interventions and less population‐health‐focused activities such as community needs assessments and development and implementation of community‐based projects.
Conclusions
Advanced training should be required in several areas of practice and the scope of public health nurses’ practice should be expanded, with greater emphasis on population health.
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