February 2010 - Constituent Society and Partnership Corner

CHNIG contributes to development of PHN Competencies

An important project by the Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC) last winter culminated in the development of Canadian Public Health Nursing (PHN) competencies. PHN Competencies are the integrated knowledge, skills, judgement and attributes required of a public health nurse to practice safely and ethically. Attributes include, but are not limited to, attitudes, values, and beliefs (CNA Code of Ethics, 2008).

The Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada (PHAC 2007), the Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice (CHNC 2008), and the Public Health Nursing Practice in Canada: A Review of the Literature (Hogan, 2008) formed the foundation and framework for the development of the discipline-specific competencies. A Delphi process was conducted to assure consensus on the competencies. Hundreds of PHNs from across Canada including many from CHNIG participated.

PHN competencies will contribute to an effective workforce, encourage service delivery that is evidence-based, and create a more unified workforce. Providing a shared understanding of key concepts and practices will help explain the unique nature of Public Health Nursing work. The PHN competencies can help with assessing training needs for professional development and contribute to curriculum for PHNs. Competencies support human resource management as a better understanding exists as to the skills of PHNs. The new competencies are called The Public Health Nursing Discipline Specific Competencies Version 1.0.

The Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC) released Public Health Nursing competencies at their June conference in Calgary, along with a mapping document that maps the CHN standards to the PHN competencies. These competencies are available at the CHNC website.

 

 

References

[1] Canadian Nurses Association (2008) Code of ethics. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from: http://www.cna-nurses.ca/CNA/practice/ethics/code/default_e.aspx

[2] Public Health Agency of Canada (2007). Core competencies for Public Health in Canada. Retrieved March 31, 2009 from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ccph-cesp/index-eng.php

[3] Community Health Nurses of Canada (2008). Canadian Community Health Nurses of Canada Standards of Practice. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from: http://www.chnc.ca/documents/chn_standards_of_practice_mar08_english.pdf [PDF]

[4] Hogan, M. (2008) Public Health Nursing Practice in Canada: A review if the literature for the Community Health Nurses Association of Canada. (Available by emailing: info@chnc.ca)