About the PHN Residency
Using the Quad Council Practice Competencies for Public Health Nursing (PDF) as a framework, the authors developed the PHN Residency Program for nurses new to public health practice, including recent graduate nurses. This residency aims to create a sustainable, highly educated public health nursing work force prepared to promote and protect the health of individuals and communities.
The authors designed the residency components and protocols to support nurses new to the public health practice. This residency contains several key elements considered best practice for transition to public health practice. These include a 12-month calendar of activities, a preceptor, case studies, suggestions for general agency orientation, looping, and peer support opportunities. The residency complements agency-based orientation, which provides new employees with basic background information about an agency and its work expectations and occurs over a shorter timeframe.
The PHN Residency Program coordinating group continues to modify and add sections to the residency program.
For more information on how this residency was developed, see Larsen, R., Ashley, J., Ellens, T., Frauendienst, R., Jorgensen, R. K., & Zelenak, M. (2018). Development of a new graduate public health nurse residency program using the core competencies of public health nursing. Public Health Nursing, 35(6), 606–612.
If you're interested in this program as a resident, preceptor, or supervisor, visit: Get started as a resident, preceptor, or supervisor.
If you have questions about this program, please contact us.
Authors
The group that created this residency program comprised new graduate public health nurses, experienced public health nurses, and nursing faculty.
Tess (Foster) Ellens, BSN, RN, PHN
Public health nurse, Stearns County Public Health, Minnesota
Mary Zelenak, MSN, RN, PHN
Public health nursing supervisor, Stearns County Public Health, Minnesota; Clinical faculty, College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, Minnesota
Rachelle Larsen, PhD, RN, PHN
Professor of Nursing, College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, Minnesota
Karen Jorgensen-Royce, MSN, RN, PHN
Public health nursing supervisor, Wright County Public Health, Minnesota (retired)
Alexandra Smith, BSN, RN, PHN
Public health nurse, Sherburne County Public Health, Minnesota
Julia Ashley, MSN, RN, PHN
Public health system consultant, Minnesota Department of Health
Acknowledgments
The PHN Residency Program arose from a student project to explore employing new graduate nurses in public health and is a realization of the resources needed to support nurses new to public health practice. This project would not have been possible without the leadership and foresight of Renee Frauendienst, who was instrumental in bringing the group together and igniting a passion for the project. Tess (Foster) Ellens provided valuable insight into case study content and enhanced the project's relevance with her experience as a new public health nurse. While Renee and Tess moved on to new opportunities, we are very grateful to both; they were essential in this visionary project to transform transition to public health practice.