What does a Public Health Nurse do?
As a public health nurse my work is truly community based. My office is located at the Randolph Board of Health and I interface with other local government employees in the municipality. Randolph is located south of Boston, nestled near the Blue Hills off Route 128 and surrounded by five different towns. Since 22% of Randolph residents were born outside the United States, it is a unique population and one of the more diverse towns outside the city of Boston. This requires cultural competence when working with both town residents and staff. Nursing a population means that you must use a systematic approach to prioritize and balance the patient’s needs and the town’s needs to be successful in what you do. In some cases, the informal application of the nursing process is a helpful way to prepare me for my work and the diverse projects I have. Public Health Nurses work autonomously and often alone. Thus, we must be innovative in our approach to our patient base. In my state, public health
