Help!!!

Nursing Students General Students

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Can someone explain to me what the difference is between public health nursing and community health nursing... and community-based nursing? It seems so simple but, I'm completely lost!

Same thing.

There, that was easy.

Yeah that doesn't help me in nursing school thanks anyways.

Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

Use the definitions in your textbook. Definitions vary.

I read them and I just confuse myself even more every time I think I understand if I get confused all over again lol! Thank you. Hopefully if I stop looking at it tonight and pick up tomorrow I'll understand it better!

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

When it comes to common usage, "Public Health" often refers to larger scale initiatives & information associated with a governmental agency. For instance, public health nurses may work with TB prevention, migrant health clinics, teen pregnancy, etc. OTOH, Community health frequently refers to actually delivering/providing patient-centric health care in the home or other non-traditional setting, such as Parish Nursing, Home Care or in-home Hospice.

Just my $0.02.

^^ Interesting. Around here, the terms are completely interchangeable.

Specializes in PICU.

The way I have seen it is:

Public Health - more global perspective, anything that can affect the general public. Think large programs, TB prevention, Malaria, could be something large scale for a specific area, child abuse prevention.

Community Health Nursing - direct care given at the community level. Can be carrying our local projects but at a local level.

Community based Nursing - care in the community, home health visits, parish nursing, care that is given outside a hospital type setting.

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