Reflect on the responsibility of a nurse in public health

Public health and the promotion of health and well-being is now at the centre of national and global agendas.

On this course, you’ll reflect on the value of nurses as promoters of health – a model for nursing first established by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Discover how to define ‘healthy’

You’ll identify what it means exactly to be ‘healthy’, before going on to define what globalisation is, and learn how it is impacting on healthcare.

You’ll identify why your nursing might need to change with the times, and describe what the future of public health looks like in practice.

Explore health promotion strategies and nursing ethics

In week two, you’ll go on to explore the concept of health promotion, understanding how nurses can act to empower individuals to lead healthier lives – just as Nightingale initiated nursing training and education programmes.

You’ll also consider the ethical dilemmas nurses can face when working in the field, and how to reconcile these with your work as social reformers and health campaigners.

Syllabus

Week 1
Going upstream
- Getting started
  All nurses can contribute in some way to public health.
- Health
  Our starting point for any conversation about improving health and well-being is to reflect on our understanding of what the words 'health' and 'healthy' mean.
- Why does my practice need to change?
  In this section we will first look at globalisation and what it means before moving on to explore the impact of globalisation on healthcare.
- The future of public health
  What impact are we having on the future of public health?
- Summary of the week
  In this section we look back on what we have learned as well as what is to come.
Week 2
Health promotion in practice
- The week ahead
  In this section we see what topics will be explored this week.
- The nurse as a promoter of health
  In this section we explore the concept of health promotion and consider the nurse in their role as a health promoter along with the values and ethics that are important in your work in nursing.
- Your values as a health promoter
  In this section we consider the importance of values in health promotion and examine some value conflicts and dilemmas that may be encountered when promoting health.
- Summary of the week
  In this section we look back on what we have learned.

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What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Evaluate the role of the nurse within public health
Explore the globalisation of public health needs
Reflect on the value of nurses as promoters of health

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for experienced nurses wanting or needing to extend their understanding of how nurses can act as promoters of health.

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured gold in the UK Government’s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and is University of the Year for Student Experience in The Times & The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.

Established
1992
Location
Coventry

About this ExpertTrack

Explore how nurses can assess community health needs, and analyse public health theories to lead public health promotion.

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