California Public Health Nursing

cc_RN · Jan 20, 2014

Ive been a nurse for 4.5 yrs and a PHN for 4. Ask away!

monicarelic · Jan 25, 2014

Hello! Thanks for your reply! I'm wondering if there was any particular experiences/ classes /certs that you took to prepare for this career path? Did you always know you wanted a career in public health? What does a standard day look like for you?

cc_RN · Jan 27, 2014

Cant.

cc_RN · Jan 27, 2014

I attended/graduated school in DC, so I had to take extra classes (did them online for a very small fee) to obtain my certification since I did not attend school in cali. If I am correct, if you graduate from a school with a bsn in cali, you will automatically be qualified to obtain a phn.

In nursing school during my public health rotation, I realized I wanted to work in that field; specifically maternal-child public health. I currently work at a Native American clinic as a phn wearing many hats.

I complete home visits with elders, pregnant mothers and families with small children; administer immz and run flu clinic; teach classes to elders, families and pregnant mothers; drive/accompany patients to their outside/clinic appointments; wound dressings, as needed; complete and manahe med boxes; and case manage all of my patients care. I'm sure I am missing some other things but that is the majority of it all.

RN 033 · Jan 31, 2014

I'm a recent BSN grad from CA and, yes, the PHN certification is included in the program. It wasn't until I had the public health curriculum that found my "calling". I love this job. You're lucky that the CA economy is picking up because there has basically been a hiring freeze. It's still a very tough market.

Get online and go to the county websites for the job postings. It can be a long process. I applied in January 2013 and was hired in October, government is slow. Lots of funding issues, too. See if you can network with the nurses there for contacts and inside info for potential openings out here. Good luck!