The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-10-23
WHAT is A PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSE

Tic uGdllu AuI5C MANY POOPAS ~
not.
A public health nurse is trained
nurse who has had special instruc
ton in public health work and who
spends all her time, not in the care
of the sick as does the trained nurse
but in the prevention of sickness
You employ trained nurse whel
someone in your family is very H.
and needs especial care and atten,
ton. The public health nurse il
employed by the State, the county
the city, the town, or the village o,
sometimes by private organization
such as the local public health as
ISOLATION, the local tuberculosis;
society, the Red Cross, and by larg
stores and factories. The trained
nurse is a sickness nurse, the public
health nurse is strictly a health
nurse. The former tries to hell
you get well, the latter to keep you
well.
A public Health Nurse can be o.
great assistance to physicians, in
that she can relieve the physicians OF
the burden of explaining and demon.
strating the methods, of treatment
and can persuade patients to per
severe in all correct courtesy and
respect to all. The public health
nurse never gives nursing attention
to any patient who is not under p
physicians care and it is not her duty
to remain in the home over an ex.
tended period. Her methods are
those of demonstration and in
struction.
Health officers and physicians are
expected to supply public health
nurse with necessary information
and their full cooperation.
What is the work of the public
health nurse ? She teaches mothers
how to keep babies well. She visits
cases Of infectious disease and in
structs the family how to prevent
the disease from spreading. She
can assist the school medical in
spector in the physical examination
of school children, and afterwards
visits the homes and urges parent
to secure the correction of defect
found. For example, if a child is
found to be near sighted, the
parents are urged to take the chile
to an oculist and have her fitted with
eye glasses. In tuberculous cases
the public health nurse visits tho
patient, supervises his care in the
home, helps in securing his admis
sion to sanatorium. If this seems
advisable, and advises him in thu
care of the sputum, so that other
n the family may not be infected
Other persons in the patients home.
especially children, are assisted ir
securing a necessary physical ex
animation.
The work of the public health
nurse has proved to be one of thu
most effective, means of protectinr
the health of community, and
an important factor in the prever
ion and control of communicable
disease, because she visits and in
.tructs the Individual in his home.
In the average home children ca
only be born healthy and kept we'
when the mother, their natural carr
taker knows and tries. No one ca
so successfully obtain the mother
confidence as an experienced am
faithful Public Health Nurse.
In every instance she works undo
the direction and in cooperation wit
the physician and increases his ser
vice. The nurse often is told O.
diseased conditions when the frs
neglected symptoms begin anf
brings the patient to the doctor at
time when treatment will be of thu
most good. Every physician WIZ
understands the work OF such
nurse must welcome her aid,
1t is a great advantage to have
the work of the nurse supervised By
the Public Health Association. l.
this way, she is kept familiar with
the best methods in other parts G
the State, and is in touch with he
sister nurses.
There are many other things
public health nurse can do. She !
as necessary in protecting vow
health and life as the policeman an|
fireman are in protecting yor
property.
In justice to the nurse and to tn
community, it has been estimated
that single nurse should not be
asked to serve district of more