Community Health Nursing: What It Is and Why It Matters

There’s a lot to love about nursing as a career. The enviable salary potential and robust job market are just a couple of perks. As a nurse, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Plus, you can choose from a vast range of nursing specialties, such as community health nursing.

What is the role of a community health nurse, and what do these professionals do, exactly? Explore this exciting nursing specialty below and contact Xavier University’s admission advisers to prepare for your nursing career. With our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, you could graduate ready to sit for the licensure exam in as little as 16 months and begin a rewarding career as a community health nurse.

What Is Community Health Nursing?

Nurses often work in hospitals, outpatient clinics and doctors’ offices. But did you know that nurses can also work in nontraditional settings throughout the community? A community health nurse embraces nontraditional work settings to provide direct patient care to underserved individuals.

Diverse, underserved populations often have limited access to healthcare, and factors such as poverty, homelessness and mental illness can further worsen their health conditions. Nurses who work out in the community strive to identify and meet the needs of people living in the community to improve their health and quality of life. This is vital work that places you in the heart of your community.

The Role of Community Health Nurses

For underserved individuals, such as people experiencing homelessness, a community health nurse may be their main point of contact or, in some cases, their only point of contact with the healthcare community unless an ER visit is required. Because of this, community nurses must take on many roles. They must be prepared to tackle various issues, which bring new and sometimes unexpected daily challenges.

Some of the primary responsibilities of these nurses include the following:

Direct Care in Community Settings

There are many reasons why some individuals have trouble accessing the healthcare services they need. Underserved populations often struggle with transportation, for example. Every year in the U.S., about 3.6 million people cannot get the medical care they need because they lack transportation to a clinic or hospital, and adequate public transportation is unavailable.

Community nursing bridges the gap, allowing underserved populations to receive direct patient care where they are. A community nurse may provide care such as:

• Wound care
• Medication and treatment administration
• Management of chronic conditions — from diabetes to HIV
• Substance abuse evaluations and treatment referrals

Preventive Healthcare and Health Promotion

One of a community nurse’s most important roles is that of preventive care provider. Uninsured adults, for example, are far less likely to be able to access preventive services such as screenings for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Preventive health services are vital for health promotion. Community-based nursing professionals can help underserved populations access health screenings, wellness exams, psychological tests and immunizations. For example, utilizing 3D mobile mammography vans to bring healthcare tools directly to their community.

Patient Education

Health literacy — the ability to understand and use health information — is particularly limited among underserved populations. Almost nine out of every 10 adults in the U.S. have poor health literacy. This is problematic because insufficient health literacy can contribute to poor health outcomes.

Patient education is a significant area of responsibility for every type of nurse, especially for community nurses who work with populations with high levels of poor health literacy. As a registered nurse (RN) who works in community settings, you can expect to spend a significant part of your day counseling patients. You’ll need to clearly explain their health issues and treatment options and discuss how lifestyle choices can affect their health.

Nurses who work with underserved populations can serve as a voice for their patients, letting officials know when more resources are needed and how public health policies affect real people’s lives. Nurses can also serve as local advocates for individual patients, such as by connecting them to needed services, such as healthcare, housing and childcare, as well as food.

Community-Based Nursing Environments

Community nursing professionals aren’t typically found in hospitals; instead, they work in nontraditional settings throughout the community.

Community Centers

Community centers are typically nonprofit clinics or centers that provide services to those in need. Within a community center, nurses can deliver essential health services. Care is typically provided for free or on a sliding scale and paid for by the nonprofit and its community partners and sponsors.

Shelters

People of all ages and with all types of health conditions live in shelters. Some shelters serve specific populations, such as youths without homes or individuals escaping domestic violence, while others provide services to all types of individuals without housing. Individuals housed at shelters typically experience complex problems that contribute to poor health. Poverty, for example, can easily lead to malnutrition, dental disease and injuries caused by physical and sexual violence.

Community health nursing professionals provide physical and emotional support to patients as they navigate difficult times. They complete a comprehensive assessment, considering the impact of mental, emotional and physical factors on an individual. Xavier University is one of only a few nursing programs in the United States where graduates can obtain a Holistic Nurse Certification after graduation.

Government Agencies

Publicly funded community health clinics typically focus on connecting underserved populations to medical care. However, they also serve the broader public in the local area, such as by offering educational programs, immunizations and care coordination.

Aid Organizations

Some community health nurses work for aid organizations like the American Red Cross. These organizations may serve populations in the U.S. or abroad, working in underserved areas worldwide. Even as a nursing student, you can make a difference as a volunteer!

Skills and Qualities of a Community Health Nurse

The job of a community health nurse has its challenges, yet it can be highly meaningful and fulfilling. It’s helpful to develop specific skills and qualities needed for the job.

Communication Skills

Since a significant part of the job is patient education and improving health literacy, communication skills are necessary for these RNs. If you aspire to work in this nursing specialty, you can benefit from developing strong, active listening skills and verbal and nonverbal conversation skills.

Analytical Reasoning

A community health nurse needs to be able to adapt to any situation. Analytical skills allow nurses to gather the facts, make critical observations and then develop informed, clinically appropriate decisions.

Patient Advocacy

Advocacy is an integral part of this career. Community-based nursing professionals can be effective advocates by boosting health literacy and enabling patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare. They can also connect their patients to needed services and advocate for the community’s needs to local, state or federal government officials.

Empathy

Empathy is important for all nurses, but it’s especially crucial in this nursing specialty. It’s essential to understand the patient’s unique situation — their challenges, concerns, and hopes — and to develop a strong rapport with them.

Pursue Your Nursing Career at Xavier

At Xavier University’s ABSN program, you can build a firm academic foundation that will serve you well regardless of your nursing career path. Our comprehensive curriculum features coursework, clinical rotations in community health settings, and nursing care of complex clients and those with mental health concerns.

Find out how to earn your nursing degree at Xavier in as little as 16 months. Contact our admission advisers today and position yourself to make an impact on community health.