Meeting Baccalaureate Public/Community Health Nursing Education Competencies in Nurse-Managed Wellness Centers

Models and frameworks that enable nurses to develop their public health practice—A scoping study

“…The papers are from the USA and the UK and provide insights into different forms of nurse preparation to deliver population‐level health interventions in a manner which recognise economic and environmental factors and their effect on health and of the importance of leadership. Four of the six papers (Davis & Travers Gustafson, 2015; Dunlap, Marver, Morrow, Green, & Elam, 2011; Thompson & Bucher, 2013; Zandee, Bossenbroek, Friesen, Blech, & Engbers, 2010) are from the United States and describe placing baccalaureate students within low‐income and underserved populations, where nurse‐led care is the norm. The fifth US paper (Utley‐Smith, 2017) describes the development of an online public and global health taught programme for postregistration nurses; a programme aimed at developing leadership knowledge and skills.…”

“…Each of the studies identified and described a different type of co‐working between Faculty and students. The four US studies describing students working in economically disadvantaged and underserved populations (Davis & Travers Gustafson, 2015; Dunlap et al, 2011; Thompson & Bucher, 2013; Zandee et al, 2010) describe preregistration students writing prescriptions and making referrals to other non‐nursing agencies such as physiotherapy and social services. In these settings, nurse‐led care is the norm and a complex model of faculty–student co‐working is apparent.…”

“…Students working in this model planned and implemented interventions for one family, under the supervision of the Public Health Nurse, and faculty audited student activities to ensure their completion and adequacy of handover to successor students. Thompson and Bucher (2013) illustrate how faculty established Nurse‐Managed Wellness Centres wherein health care was delivered by nurses within a nursing framework rather than through a traditional medical model. In Thompson and Bucher's study, faculty have the control of the Nurse‐Managed Wellness Centres and work within the centres providing both a role model and direct teaching and supervision for the student in delivering public health care.…”

“…Three studies (Davis & Travers Gustafson, 2015; Thompson & Bucher, 2013; Zandee et al, 2010) describe students learning in population or community settings through interactions with community members and their families. In Thompson and Bucher's Nurse‐Managed Wellness Centres, student nurses completed health and physical assessments, health teaching, information giving, information on the proper use of medication, disease self‐management, health promotion and disease self‐management.…”

“…In the US studies (e.g. Davis & Travers Gustafson, 2015; Thompson & Bucher, 2013; Zandee et al, 2010), preregistration students learnt most by having direct contact with individuals and families. Students described how this contact enhanced their capacity for empathy and their ability to work collaboratively with families and to set realistic health goals.…”