Posted by: NurseKeith in public health, nursing on
Oct 04, 2008
This Monday, I will begin my new position as the interim Public Health Nurse in my town, and I find myself wondering about what that actually means. After two rushed training sessions with my kind but harried predecessor, I feel somewhat prepared for the challenges ahead, but uncertain about what I will actually do each day. So far, I know that I will:
- Coordinate flu clinics for town residents and town employees
- Case manage active cases of TB, pertussis and other diseases, including home visits
- Use an online epidemiological tracking tool to track reportable diseases and communicate with state and federal public health organizations
- Coordinate and interface with other Public Health Nurses and officials in my region and state
- Answer questions, field phone calls and emails, and otherwise make myself available to citizens and other town employees
- Put out any public health fires that erupt
- Etc, etc, etc
I may need to vent about these challenges from time to time, but then again it may all fall into place and be just fine. We shall see. At any rate, it is a new adventure in nursing for me, and a new way to use my skills and knowledge.
So why am I so nervous?
Posted by: NurseKeith in public health, nursing on
Nov 30, 1999
On Monday morning, I begin my new temporary part-time job as the Public Health Nurse for my town. After two rushed training sessions of by my kind but harried predecessor, I will hit the ground running and immediately begin to figure out what I'm actually supposed to be doing! As far as I know, my responsibilities will include:
- Case management and home visits for active TB cases
- Flu vaccine clinics for town employees
- A make-up flu clinic for elders who miss the big clinic (for which I will be out of the country on vacation)
- Infectious disease management via a national online epidemiological tracking system
- Coordination with other regional public health nurses and officials
- Case management and tracking of other active disease cases (like Pertussis)
- A monthly immunization clinic for those in need of free vaccines for school or work
- And other responsibilities that I have yet to discover or understand.
All of this will happen in around ten hours every week, eight of which will most likely occur in my new office in the town center.
The notion of actually being an actual "public health official" gives me pause, but I know that I can use my skills and lean on others more knowledgable than me for support and advice. I may need to vent about the challenges from time to time, so stay tuned!
