Population-Focused Practice Competency Needs Among Public Health Nursing Leaders in Washington State
Authors: Espina Christine R. , Bekemeier Betty , Storey-Kuyl Marni 
Published: April 2016

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Objectives

Describe supports and barriers to adopting population-focused care in public health nursing practice.

Describe the benefit of using practice models to assess staff readiness for adopting evidence-based guidelines or practice competencies.

Disclosure statement

Neither the planners nor the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Public health nurses (PHNs) need effective strategies to reduce health disparities, requiring a workforce that can practice with a population-focus across the continuum of care and with an ecological approach to health. A statewide leadership group of county-level PHN leaders in Washington assessed their training needs in population-focused knowledge and skills. Interview findings from 17 members were coded based on the Quad Council PHN Competencies. Recommendations were organized around the Push-Pull Infrastructure (PPI) practice model established to help bridge the practice–research gap. The PHN leaders in Washington State want to strengthen their own leadership skills and provide support to staff in transitioning to population-focused care. This article describes the assessment findings of PHN leaders' training needs using the PPI practice model and explores how the PPI might serve to develop evidence-based training for PHNs and local health department staff.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2016;47(5):212–219.