The recommendations for nurses to become culturally competent fall into two categories. The first focuses on the content and structure of the encounter between provider and patient; the second charges providers with becoming knowledge about the culture of their patients. Cultural competence is really nursing competence--the capacity to be equally…

If nursing education commits itself to preparing public health nurses for leadership in public health, it will be committing itself to self-examination, redirection, and change that will reflect the crucial balance between nursing and public health at all levels. (JOW)

Discusses the graduate program in community health nursing at the University of Colorado that is structured according to the aggregate/family and group model. Describes the development of the program and its evaluation. (JOW)

Mereness describes her half-century career as an educator and pioneer in psychiatric and public health nursing. (SK)

A model of family caregiving by public health nurses includes these competencies: encouraging self-help, locating and building trust, timing and detecting, being available, mobilizing, collaborating, resolving problems and crises, working through emotions, fostering family understanding, educating parents, persuading, and saving children. (SK)

Offers practice models for community-based nursing and community health nursing that demonstrate the different roles, philosophies, and activities of the two approaches. Points to curriculum changes that are needed to prepare students to practice in an increasingly community-oriented health care industry. (Author)

Problems in the community health middle management role are explored. Sources of role ambiguity (bureaucratic role discrepancy, professional role discrepancy, performance role discrepancy) are examined. The advantages of the creation of a holistic-oriented environment also are discussed. (CT)

It is important that nurses, particularly those who consider themselves community health nursing specialists, assign a high priority to participation in the formation of health policy and broader public policy. To put subsequent remarks about policy into perspective, it is useful to consider the case for seeing community health nursing as…

Posits that students in public health nursing must be well grounded in nursing theory and practice before planning for group health care. Discusses curriculum planning and content, roles and functions of master's program graduates, faculty-agency relationships, and clinical research. (JOW)