Position:
Nurse Consultant
Place of work:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
Can you describe how you apply community/public health nursing in your work?
In my current role as a nurse consultant for the federal government, I oversee nursing workforce development projects that aim to prepare a quality and skilled nursing workforce that is equipped with the competencies necessary to meet the diverse health needs of the nation. I apply community/public health nursing skills on a daily basis through the three core functions of public health – assessment, assurance, and policy development. For example, I am engaged in program planning, management and evaluation of new and existing workforce development grants, report writing, dissemination to various audiences, policy development and enforcement, coalition building, collaboration with key stakeholders, and provision of technical assistance and capacity building.
In my capacity as the Maryland’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Nurse Leader (PHNL), I have been fortunate to apply the skills I acquired in the CPH program as well as the PHNL leadership program in both my professional and personal life. For example, I utilized community organizing, coalition building, social marketing, advocacy program planning, management, and evaluation skills to execute the PHNL project.
In my previous role as a Bureau Administrator for Baltimore City Health Department, Bureau of HIV/STD Services, I applied various public health interventions to manage programs and improve HIV and STD outcomes in Baltimore and beyond. These interventions included overseeing outreach, screening, case management, health education, and referral to HIV and STD services, disease investigation and management, surveillance, coalition building with various key stakeholders, community organization such as through the Mayor’s HIV Planning Group, providing technical assistance and capacity building to grantees, partners, and team members, developing executing and enforcing policies, dissemination of program outcomes, and leading teams and programs.
How did UMSON’s Community/Public Health master’s specialty prepare you for your current position?
The UMSON’s CPH Program was instrumental in preparing me for my current and previous roles as a public health nurse and administrator. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) I acquired through the CPH program and later enhanced through work experience have made me successful in my various roles at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), BCHD, and the PHNL program. These KSAs include program planning, management, and evaluation, budget and grant management, grant writing, report writing, procurement principles, health education, disease investigation and management, need assessment, strategic planning, advocacy, coalition building, community organizing and mobilizing, social marketing, policy development, execution, and enforcement, risk communication, surveillance, managing teams, leadership. I attribute my successes and career advancements to the strong foundation I got from the CPH Program and the mentors that have been there throughout my nursing and public health journeys.