Need Public Health Nursing Certification

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 17, 2013

I know this posting is a couple years old, but were you able to obtain your PHN certificate in California? I am looking into getting my BSN through UTA, but I will still need my PHN in California for my job requirements. I am hoping that I can complete the PHN part separate from my BSN. Thank you.

You need a BSN to apply for your PHN--there's no way around that.

injecthope · Oct 4, 2013

This is the reply when I inquired via email:

Sorry for the delay in responding to your email. Our providers for the California child abuse requirement are

Gannett Education titled: How Nurses Can Help Prevent Child Abuse 7 contact hrs.

Quantum Units Education titled: Child Abuse and Neglect 7 contact hrs

Homestead Schools, Inc. title: Child Abuse and also Domestic Violence

You may complete one of the courses and receive your certificate, make a copy and mail it in with your PHN application. These providers are for our applicants who have received their BSN degree outside of California.

But I already took the Zur Institute one, I'll have to see if they will accept it.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 4, 2013

Good to know, thanks! I was wondering what I'd have to do once I graduated.

I'm going with the Gannett one...I have an unlimited CE membership so it's 50% off :)

rudycoon · Oct 4, 2013

I did my child abuse course through Zur and the BON accepted it.

TITRITE, MSN · Jan 24, 2014

Thanks injecthope and rudycoon for sharing. I am also having hard time trying to talk to BRN about child abuse requirement for PHN. I will take the course through Zurinstitute like rudycoon since the board accept this course.

Jmira.BSN.RN · Jan 29, 2014

To clarify, if you go to a school for BSN that doesn't offer PHN, one can still obtain the PHN on their own by completing the child abuse course?

I got my ADN here in CA, but i'm now at GCU for BSN, which doesn't offer the PHN. I've tried calling the BRN, but you know how that goes lol

christineleach · Nov 12, 2016

Where did you take it through?? I just took one through Quantum Education.....online? It states CA PHN acceptable. I just applied for my CA PHN via the BRN and awaiting their decision.

Vicksvaporub · Jul 24, 2017

Hello Christine, have you heard back from the board? Was your Quantum Education accepted? Will be applying for the PHN Certification soon. Thanks.

Argus333 · Oct 9, 2017

I'm going to save you thousands of dollars here. Go to Gannet or Nurse.com , Quantum Nursing Education, or Zur Institute, and take their $21 course on child abuse/detection and reporting. It will say whether it is approved by the CA BRN. You have a BSN and this is all you need in addition to that. If you got your BSN in CA they would have just made you take this course as homework during school and noted that in their curriculum. But you just need to send proof you took it with your application. You did the 90 hours of Community Health clinical fieldwork in any CCNE/NLN approved BSN. ADN students with a BA/BS degree other then nursing can take the certificate course with schools like CSU Northridge and get their PHN actually, without a BSN. If I were going that route I'd just take the cheap CE course then enroll in the certificate program which gives you the clinical hours you need to apply. I'm not sure if all RN-BSN online programs give you the 90 hours community health clinical hours you need- especially the ones based outside of California, so careful with those. CSU is shutting down some of their RN-BSN programs unfortunately- what killed them is that they didn't have rolling admissions and people don't want to wait forever to get their transcripts and applications evaluated and the private online universities seem to rapidly review applications and enroll people.

Argus333 · Oct 9, 2017

I believe that the CE course through Gannet, Zur, or Quantum, plus any BSN , will get you the PHN. However the question is whether you'll have the 90 clinical hours in public health. Programs like CSUs RN-BSNs mostly make you go out and do that, and the reason they can't be 100% online might be that they have to send you out for those hours so they can get you your PHN cert. any 100% online RN-BSN program probably won't give you what you need to get the PHN. CSU Northridge does have a PHN certificate program that meets all the requirements.

maxelrod · Oct 18, 2017

I currently have my RN degree (received in CA), my BSN (received from GCU in Arizona) and my MPH (received from GCU in Arizona) however do not have a PHN certificate and of course cannot reach the BRN to find out what I need. GCU did not do clinical hours however my job for the last 10 years of nursing has been in public health. Does anyone know what I would need to do? Taking the full 8-12 month cert program doesn't seem right since I already have my MPH. Thanks

Argus333 · Oct 19, 2017

For starters, GO immediately to the CA BRN website and look at the requirements listed for PHN certification. Read carefully and define for yourself what those requirements are FOR YOU.

If you want to proceed and meet those requirements one by one,: 1) Go to Gannet , Nurse.com , Quantum Nursing Education, or Zur Institute, and take their $21 course on "child abuse/detection and reporting". This course is a requirement for everyone applying for PHN. In California most schools will make you take this course within their curriculum or as a homework assignment. And they might cover it in lectures as well. It is definitely needed by someone like you who got an out-of-CA / out of state RN-BSN degree. So do it. Your school in Arizona certainly did not require you to take that CE, but if you want CA PHN then take it ASAP. 2) ask GCU or your work/manager to give you a letter certifying that you did 90 clinical hours in Public Health... this part is harder - not sure you are qualified based on your work- I somehow doubt it but you can try. Call the BRN if you really want an answer from a live person. It doesn't make sense that you should have to go to school for a year to get it. But it might be the only way.