Public Health Nursing Personal Statement

For ten years my parents sheltered me from the truth about my Grandfather’s suicide. The day he died is a blur, but I remember our afternoons together in his garden reading books he brought home from the library he worked at, and evenings eating Chinese food and watching ice skating—two of his favorite things. Finding out he committed suicide left me with myriad questions. As I matured my desire for understanding intensified. Drawn to human behavior and the mechanisms that affect it, I applied to the University of California at Berkeley as a Psychology major. In the summer prior to beginning my studies Anthony killed himself.

As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Health Wagon located in Wise, Virginia as an Alternative Break trip. It was my first time witnessing a clinic operated by nurses. The nurse practitioners educated their population on health issues unique to their demographic i.e. lung cancer or respiratory issues; while providing both primary and secondary interventions such as screenings and health education, along with urgent care if need be. One of the main health concerns within that community is lung cancer. However, the biggest contributor to lung cancer is also a major source of income for many of the families living there - mining. It became clear that many factors were involved in defining the health of the community,

The United States of America is composed of people from different parts of the world. These people chose to leave their own country and migrate to the United States (U.S) wanting a better life for themselves and their families. Many of them see this country as a land of opportunity. According to the 2013 American Community survey (ACS) published by the United States Census Bureau, there are 1.4 million legal and illegal immigrant population residing in the country. The illegal immigrants who come from diverse ethnic groups and are of various age group. One of the problem that the America is facing right now is the problem with children who have crossed illegally into this country. In this paper, the author will define the issue based on the concepts of public health nursing, identify the ethical principle that is related to it, describe both sides of the issue and choose one side, and suggest a call to action for the problem.

In the corner of the small hospital room stood a shy little girl. “You shouldn't be in here, honey”, my mother said as she nudged me out of the room where my grandfather lay dying. At the time, I couldn't understand the enormity of the situation. Ignorant to what was happening around me, my innocent mind fled with curiosity. The beeping of the machines and the soft quick steps of nurses captivated my attention. I was fascinated with this strange new world. This is the moment that sparked my desire to become someone great; a nurse.

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner Student (FNP) at Frontier Nursing University (FNU). My passion to care for people was evident when I was growing up and I knew I wanted to become a nurse and care for the sick when I cared for my grandmother who was not feeling well. After high school, I started my career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CAN) and worked with the elderly population which I really enjoyed. I worked as a CNA as I enrolled to school and earned my Associate degree in nursing in 2011. As an RN, I continued to work in a nursing home and rehab facility with the elderly as I decided to pursue my BSN. Upon completion of my BSN I found a job at a hospital in cardiac telemetry heart failure unit where I enjoy working as I care for people.

Please allow me to introduce myself as Crystal Jordan. I started with Poudre Valley Health System in January 2007 in the Patient Access Department. In late 2009, I transferred to the Medical/Neurology Unit at Medical Center of the Rockies to provide patient care as a Nursing Aide. I have deliberately but steadily pursued my passion for nursing working as a single mom. I graduated from Denver School of Nursing this past March, 2016.

Based on my personal research and reflection, I have identified American Public Health Association, an association of public health professionals in the United States and other professionals from health related fields. This association comprise of environmentalists, nurses, doctors, dentists and many other professionals. However, there is more clarity about nurses in the public sector. The American Association of nurses is one of the largest groups registered by APHA. I therefore, choose nurses as a group of public health professionals to research on. Nurses in the public health sector are known to be people focused as well as community development oriented. Historically speaking, the American Association of Nurses has witnessed several changes in their current operations in comparison to earlier operations. Thatcher, (2012) asserted that “Earlier nurses were focused more on community organizations, population orientation as well as health promotions”. The community and population were the main partners to the association of the earlier nurses. Much emphasis was put on health promotion and prevention measures for various diseases. Community health care and health equity were also given priority by the American Nursing Association (ANA).

| P1 explain the structure and function of a health or social care organisationP2 report on own contributions to a specific team activity relating to health and social careP3 make regular reflective entries in a personal journal related to own contributions to work in a health and social care settingP4 present a portfolio of evidence from all placements that

The roal of public health nursing is to promote and protect the health of the population. This proactive approach does not limit their scope of practice to health concerns of individuals but also to developing and implementing programs and policies that help enhance the health of populations. The role of public health nurses is to focus on population centered care with the outcome of promoting health, preventing disability and disease, and improving the quality of life. An effective public health nurse is able to evaluate assessment data to define population diagnoses and set priorities accordingly. They can also serve as advocates for individuals and families in the population to develop policies, access resources, and protect their

Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) define vulnerable populations as “those defined at a greater risk for poor health status and health care access”(p.712). The role of a public health nurse in contrast to a vulnerable population is to establish interventions to help break the cycle of vulnerability thus aiding to eliminate health disparities within the population. The term “risk” helps public health nurses establish a person probability of something happening to them. This epidemiological term is used with the triangle of host, agent and environment in contrast to ones health within a population. The author will discuss vulnerability as discovered within a community based on surveying the community and establishing risk and interventions on the

In the last few years, nurses and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) are under the spotlight of the media and the public due to issues addressed in documents such as The Francis Report (2010). This is good in a sense though as it gives us the opportunity to better ourselves as HCPs and improve the standard of care for everyone. It is now a widely known idea that there are many different factors that affect our health and wellbeing not just biological factors as believed to be the case not very long ago when a biological view was taken when addressing a person's health. However, this has all changed for the better where now healthcare is individualised, holistic and takes in to account the individuals own circumstances i.e. the social determinants of health and wellbeing (social determinants), not a simple one size fits all approach. This essay is going to discuss some of these factors so that we can learn to reduce these inequalities in healthcare and make great healthcare more accessible to everyone. The factors that will be discussed are individual lifestyle choices, housing conditions and .

2014). The model it promotes widely takes recognition of the wider determinants of health that focus on socio-economic, environmental and influences of politics (Ahnquist. J, Wamala. S.P & Lindstrom. M, 2012. Within the deprived and less well off communities, multiple disadvantages are reinforced by the presence of these determinants of health and thus continually diminish people’s health status (Tod. A, Norton. C, Baillie, L, Deaton, C et al, 2015). This calls for the need to actively work in partnerships with policy makers, education, health services professionals and the relevant communities facing inequalities (Soni. H, 2014). There tends to be a perception that maybe one size would fit all(Piazza. J, Charles. S, Luong. G & Almeida, D. 2015). This happens as the social model of public health never puts emphasis on individual behaviours but on action that healthcare should be downstream- treatment of illness intervention in individuals(Tod. A.M & Hirst, J, 2014). There is also a need to look upstream –preventative healthcare where the impact would be felt within the different communities and population at large that would avoid the requirement for downstream treatment (Malhotra.S & Naughton. L, 2015). If barriers are tackled in the first place that hinder access to health and care services within people and communities at

Having grown up in Michigan, I have become passionate about serving this community. Many of my experiences, including shadowing, research, and my internship at the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), have educated me about the unique healthcare issues and opportunities in Michigan. Through shadowing, I have been exposed to the multiple community settings a physician can practice in, such as rural or inner-city communities. These settings all have their unique advantages and challenges and being exposed to them during my undergraduate career has given me a holistic view of health care needs in Michigan. As an intern at MAFP, I have developed my intra-professional skills to effectively communicate and collaborate with others. Lastly,

Statistics show that 1 in 4 people in the United Kingdom will endure a mental health problem at some time within their life, resulting in members of society requiring assistance with their mental Health. Mental health nurses aim to care for members of society with mental health conditions in addition to supporting their families or carers to secure a positive life experience for the people who do suffer with a mental disorder. My personal reason for applying to university to study mental health nursing is that I endured multiple mental disorders since childhood; this had a huge impact on my education, social abilities and emotional health. I went through behaviourist, psychodynamic, cognitive and humanistic therapeutic approaches which gave me a fantastic learning experience into managing, not only my own mental health but other peoples who have suffered mental disorders such as dementia, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression during my volunteer work and work experiences.

When first beginning my journey at UC Merced I was like most undergraduate students, confused and overwhelmed, on what major to choose. I didn’t know what I wanted to do here at UC Merced whether it was to pursue a degree in biology or psychology. I would later come to realize that I wanted neither of those things. As a freshman, I took the course Public Health 005 which is Global Health. Global Health drew me to really take an interest in Public Health.