Changing roles of public health nurses: The case of London, 1972-1995

• Main Author: Mytka, Sharon Mary
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-1995
• Subjects: Nursing; Public health
• ISBN: 9780315992399; 0315992395

The changes which have occurred in the role and function of public health nursing in schools between 1972 and 1995 have been a notable departure from the earlier role of school nurse. Nurses at the Middlesex-London Health Unit are shifting their health care practice from the traditional medical model to a socioenvironmental model, which addresses the broader determinants of health. During this transition, public health nurses have experienced role confusion and are struggling to understand what might be the best way to shape their professional practice. Using public health nursing in schools as a focus, this study brings perspective and understanding to the change in the role of the public health nurse over the past 25 years. A modified participant-observer approach is used to document the impact of legislation, policies, economic and social climate on the work and self-concept of public health nurses at the Middlesex-London Health Unit. The socialization of nurses is traced from the roots of modern nursing to the 1970's when the Middlesex-London Health Unit first assumed responsibility for nursing in schools. The role of public health nurses in schools during the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's is detailed and examined in relation to the socialization of nurses, the health care reform movement and related working conditions during the same decades. It is argued that in 1995, the socialization of nurses, the dominance of the medical model, the structure of public health in Ontario and the economic climate interact to threaten the continued existence of public health nurses. Implications for action are discussed.