Community Health Nurse

Community health nurses' duties vary considerably from one job to another and may vary from one assignment to another in the same job. In general, they:

• assist in the development of public health policies and support the development of healthy communities
• develop and deliver health promotion, disease prevention and education programs
• facilitate the development of support groups and community solutions to local health problems
• deliver preventive programs such as immunization and screening programs for tuberculosis or breast cancer
• assess the needs of individuals, families, groups or communities throughout the lifespan
• provide health support and counselling services for people in crisis and help them access appropriate resources
• develop and implement chronic disease management programs
• assist in the control of communicable disease outbreaks
• assist in the care and management of resources in emergency and disaster situations
• plan, implement, evaluate and document nursing care
• co-ordinate patient care
• provide direct nursing care
• manage, lead and supervise nursing teams
• advocate for clients
• visit and provide health care services to new mothers and elderly patients
• ensure continuity of care as clients move from one part of the health care system to another.

Community health nurses may work with a wide variety of people or specific groups in the community. For example, they may work primarily with:

• children (newborns, preschool, school age, adolescents)
• children who have long-term disabilities
• families
• women preparing for childbirth
• seniors in good health
• elderly people whose ability to function independently is diminishing
• disadvantaged individuals or groups
• community organizations (schools, churches, housing and social service agencies)
• individuals with chronic disease.

Community health nurses counsel and advise clients over the telephone and may travel to see clients in their homes. They may work weekday hours or be required to work some evenings and weekends.

Community health nurses face the same occupational hazards as other nurses (exposure to infectious diseases and chemicals, back injuries and muscle strains from moving patients). They also must work relatively independently and deal with issues of personal safety because they work outside the controlled environment of a hospital. Those who work in isolated communities may be the only health professionals who live in the community.

Community health nurses need the following characteristics:

• flexibility and adaptability
• physical and emotional stamina
• good communication skills 
• problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• the ability to work well with individuals, families and groups from diverse social and cultural backgrounds
• the ability to motivate people
• the ability to work independently as well as in a team environment
• the ability to react quickly and effectively to unexpected or unusual situations
• the ability to supervise paraprofessional and non-professional staff.

They should enjoy advising individuals and groups about promoting and maintaining good health, taking a methodical approach to compiling information and administering treatments, and directing the work of others.

Above-average occupational growth is expected in Alberta for 2016 to 2020. Job openings are a result of employment turnover and newly created positions.

Community health nurses are employed by:

• regional health authorities
• primary care settings
• organizations such as the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) private nursing agencies
• charitable organizations and churches
• businesses that provide services related to health care.

Some self-employed community health nurses work on a contract basis.

Advancement for community health nurses may take the form of specializing in a particular type of health care service (for example, palliative care, health education, communicable disease control, genetic counselling, teen sexual health, community development) or in serving the needs of a particular client population (for example, seniors, school children).

Community health nurses are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 3012: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses.  In Alberta, 96% of people employed in this classification work in the Health Care and Social Assistance (PDF) industry.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Over 45,000 Albertans are employed in the Registered nurses occupational group. This group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 3.6% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 1,620 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As community health nurses form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for community health nurses.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) website: www.nurses.ab.ca

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) website: www.nursesunions.ca

Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) website: www.cna-aiic.ca

United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) website: www.una.ab.ca

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.