Public health vs. Nursing

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Hi everyone!

I'm currently a sophomore in college, right now i'm in the process of getting all my general credits done. I'm a nursing major, but after graduating school and everything I really want to travel the world and learn more about the health in 3rd world contries and such more than working in the hospital. I'm really torn between public health & nursing. Unfortunately for me, I don't know anyone who's major in either one of those with experience, so that's why I'm asking if anyone on here could help me understand both major a bit better. Thank you all!

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

you can do that by working as a public health nurse following your graduation and obtaining your license.

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Hi everyone!

I'm currently a sophomore in college, right now i'm in the process of getting all my general credits done. I'm a nursing major, but after graduating school and everything I really want to travel the world and learn more about the health in 3rd world contries and such more than working in the hospital. I'm really torn between public health & nursing. Unfortunately for me, I don't know anyone who's major in either one of those with experience, so that's why I'm asking if anyone on here could help me understand both major a bit better. Thank you all!

I concur with the previous comment. Maybe I am not understanding your post, but you can be a public health nurse. I dont see a difference between Nursing and Public Health. Public Health is a specialty of Nursing.

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I have a BSN and got my masters degree in public health. I agree with the above posts, you can absolutely do public health nursing. The biggest notable difference is the model of healthcare that's followed. Nursing (in this country) often is a component of treating a disease after a person obtains the disease. Yes, we educate and prevention of future disease is part of that, but more often than not it's medicine 'after the fact' (if that makes sense). PH is 100% geared towards preventing the disease in the first place. You also specialize in PH (like nursing). There's health education, community health, policy, systems management, international health, epidemiology, maternal/ child, etc etc. You definitely don't need to be "torn" between the two, because you can do both!

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Hi guys. I'm a majoring in public health but I also want to do nursing. How can I go about doing both programs. Can I be a public health nurse with my public health degree

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@sylvajms- you cannot be a nurse without going to an accredited nursing school and passing a licensure exam. You can see if your school has a nursing program and speak to the department to find out what requirements you need to apply. If your institution doesn't have a nursing school, you'll have to find one and apply.

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I'd do both. I don't see a lot of public health jobs without any kind of health background. Some schools have a bsn+ph certificate or MPH.

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