EXPERTISE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSES.
Contributors: Oklahoma State University.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 182
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Public Health.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: Scope of study. The purpose of the study was to describe the expert level of practice of community health nurses who were employed in three separate health department systems in one south-central state. An expert panel of judges rated 128 personal examples of expert practice submitted by 52 nurses. Examples were rated in one of four qualitative levels. Weighted scores were assigned to the ratings given by the judges, and percentage scores were derived. Total points awarded to all examples submitted by an individual nurse were also computed to derive a percentage score of expertise for each nurse. In addition, the domains of nursing practice in each example were identified by the judges. Various demographic variables were examined for a potential relationship with the level of expertise. Finally, the study was compared with a previous study of nursing expertise in the acute care setting.

Findings and conclusions. Criteria were established for acceptance of examples and nurses as expert for the study. Consequently, there were 82 expert examples and 30 expert nurses. Scores for the examples and for the nurses ranged from 0% to 100%. Therefore, it was not possible to clearly discriminate expert examples nor expert nurses. Eleven domains of nursing practice were identified in the examples of community health nursing while only 7 had been identified in the study of expert nurses in the acute care setting. Statistical analyses of the data indicated that there was no significant relationship between the level of skill of the nurses and any of the demographic variables at the 0.10 level. However, stepwise regression analysis indicated that the most predictive variable for community health nursing expertise was years of experience as a public health nurse. The study yielded a rich description of the commitment and creativity of community health nursing expertise. Some examples may be used as paradigms for teaching. The study suggested the need for curriculum revision in baccalaureate nursing education and a closer relationship between education and community health service agencies to more effectively teach the complexities of this nursing subspecialty.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-05, Section: B, page: 1851.

Thesis (ED.D.)--OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1988.

School code: 0664.