Anyone in Community Health?

*waves hand frantically* I'm in community health!

My role involves a big pile of jobs, some global (everyone in my state) and some 1:1 (crisis calls related to my area).

I do a lot of population planning and then carry out a program of outreach and community education. I give about 50 speeches a year. I testify before the legislature about bills that impact my constituents.

My job isn't physical care...I don't do flu clinics or exams... but I do meet 1:1 with hundreds of families/year and their impaired older parents on how to approach public safety issues (driving). I only occasionally do overnights but only because my state is so large and I'm the only RN in my role.

I also do a huge amount of case management involving review of medical records and recommendations (re: health, safety and driving). I probably see 50,000+ cases for review each year. I also work as an administrative law judge for the appeals process.

The public health nurses I know do more with single health issues, say cardiac/ diabetes/STDs. I'm more of a generalist, keeping up on any and all illnesses that impact driving.

Likes/dislikes: I love this job and I've been in it for 10 years. It was a hard job to get and very competitive although the salary was quite low to start. Pension and benefits unbelievably good. Great schedule. I don't supervise anyone. I could do the job from a wheelchair if I had to. I pay 1K a year in union dues, don't like that so much.....

It sounds wonderful! I don't think I'd care to testify to legislators but the rest sounds very interesting. What is population planning? Is that birth control or planning for disasters for the population to be cared for?

I think my start would be in the one issue area, specifically HIV/STD/Hepatitis. There is some overnight travel - once or twice a month per the job description. I assume they reimburse the travel.

I guesss I'm trying to figure out how it would be good to switch jobs at this point in my life, what I would tell an interviewer my goals are. The truth is I need to work and am kind of burned out by this one particular person I work with. I've been praying she'd be removed from my life and I'm wodering if this offer to interview for PHN might be the way that will happen.

I know CH/PH is caring for the community good, vs focusing on the individual good, e.g., it is not good for the food handler who has to be taken off the job due to infectious disease but the good of the community requires that we remove people from work until they are healed.

When I worked PH before, we did STD, high risk OB, TB, ID, vax, and we linked up with community groups to monitor REd Cross shelters during floods and other disasters for diarrhea, fever, and other signs of contagion, we joined hands with various other groups to teach hygiene to group homes and alcohol prevention to youth groups, we held health fairs and screened for DM and HTN, we helped the Lions or Kiwanis get people eyeglasses, stuff like that.

I'm just trying to think of how best to prep for the interview, I guess. It's scary to switch jobs - what if I don't make it on the new job? Have to get a wardrobe, keep a suitcase packed, learn a laptop, lots of new challenges.

Thanks for any help.

Population planning is the work of crafting health policy for a large group. In my case, health policy for my state's 4 million drivers. I create guidelines for health conditions that can interfere with highway safety. Example: what records and lab work would we need to see before we'd let someone in end stage renal disease drive a school bus. Then, I work with drivers 1:1 to make sure they are safe. I also work with families of older drivers whose parents/relatives may have dementia or other progressive/deteriorating conditions.

Ah, yes, that is interesting and important for public and individual safety. Thank you for doing that.