Module Components

• Overview

Topics

• Definitions
• Planning Models and Frameworks
• Program Planning
• Role of the Public Health Nurse

Nurs 467 - Public Health Nursing

Module 9: Program Planning and Evaluation

ROLE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE

The PHN may have any number of roles in and during program planning and evaluation. Nurses can be leaders in conceptualizing and designing programs, or may be taking on secondary roles. Basically – the sky’s the limit! Here are some possibilities:

1. The nurse may work in partnership with other professionals, community leaders, and community members to plan, implement and evaluate health care programs based on a community assessment.
2. A Baccalaureate Trained Nurse may head the planning program, lead the team, analyze the program, and evaluate the program. The nurse then revises the program to meet additional needs not planned for within the program.
3. The Public Health Nurse may use Healthy People 2030 objectives as guidelines to develop goals and objectives for health programs in the community.
4. Public Health Nurses may implement and manage community and public health programs.
5. Programs under their direction may be health education, screening, policy formation, establishing new nursing services and community empowerment.
6. The nurse may set up the nursing actions/interventions for the specific programs being developed.
7. The nurse may focus on any of the following questions:
• What actions are to be done?
• How are the actions to be accomplished?
• What resources are needed?
• Who is responsible for each facet of the program?
• When will each action occur?
• How much time will it take to accomplish the actions?
• Where will the actions take place?
  
8. The public health nurse is a change agent for the community and the population they are addressing in the specific program being planned. Getting stakeholders involved who can assist with planning, resources, and manning the plan is crucial to the development of the plan.
9. The public health nurse is in a key position to coordinate the activities and facilitate the community’s ability to achieve a higher level of health. Therefore it is important that nurses understand the role of the community organization to be successful in addressing the needs to the population.