Importance of community health nursing - Essay Example

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING The Importance of Community Health Nursing in the Health Care Continuum Jennifer Olaires SalazarVanguard University of Southern CaliforniaIn partial fulfillment of the requirements of Nrsg 420Angela HalpinJuly 7, 2008Nursing is a career that is known for its complexity and diversity. It is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, maintaining, and recovering optimal health and functioning (“Nursing,” 2008).

It is complexity in a sense that a nurse can have the opportunity to explore specialties such as bedside nursing, management and community services. After reading the first few chapters of the book required by this class, community health nursing is one nursing field that has been rarely recognized as a nurse to pursue in their careers. Hospitals are mostly the place of being exposed at the bedside nursing but now community health nursing is a field that is as important to the society. Being in a baccalaureate program had given me intrigue and more opportunities to explore my career in community health nursing.

The primary mission of community health nursing is improving the overall health of the population through health promotion, illness prevention, and protection of the public from a variety of biological, behavioral, social, and environmental threats (Clark, 2008). Community health nursing has contributed so much to the social and healthcare reform. Moreover, the importance of this nursing field has created great changes in how nursing is being provided to an individual. There are significant events that the community health nursing established, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Communicable Disease Center (CDC), and American Red Cross.

Public health nursing has led to many of the policy revolutions that helped bring family planning, workplace safety, and maternal child health services to people in need(“Nursing,” 2008). The global impact of community health nursing is not only around the nursing aspect but also around the cultural side of the society. Access of healthcare for the population is very diverse and with the government assistance to fund such different outreach programs, the choices of which a community needs health services are easily available for them.

The importance of which is that the person is being treated at the convenience of there home, there community or people around them. The increasing availability of health care services such as community health nursing contributes to a better society especially in the nonurban areas, and elderly population. With the rising increase in the elderly population, illegal immigrants, and uninsured individual in the United States, community health services has provided care in a way that health is being preserved.

The education being provided by these community nurses has contributed to a better understanding of the individuals’ disease or health. References:Clark, M. J. (2008). Community Health Nursing (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.(Nursing 20080708)Nursing. (2008, July 8). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/