Public health nurses work to promote and protect the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences. They integrate community involvement and knowledge about the entire population with personal, clinical understandings of the health and illness experiences of individuals and families within the population. Public health nurses are knowledgeable about multiple strategies for intervention, from those applicable to the entire population to those for the family and the individual. They work to prevent illness, injury, or disability, promote health, and maintain the health of populations.

Some specific responsibilities of public health nurses include:

• Monitoring health trends and identifying health risk factors unique to specific communities
• Setting local priorities for health-related interventions to provide the greatest benefit to the most people
• Providing direct health care services, including preventive care, screening services, and health education, to people who dont have access to care
• Educating people about health and safety practices, and offering education on healthy living
• Designing and implementing programs and policies to meet the needs of vulnerable populations
• Advising elected officials on public health measures
• Reviewing and recommending emergency operation plans

Public health nurses may work for government agencies, nonprofit groups, community health centers, and other organizations that aim to improve health at the community level. They may work alone or on multidisciplinary teams, and they often supervise other health care and lay personnel.