Why Do I Need A Public Health Nurse Certification
While some states allow nurses to practice as a public health nurse without certification, other states require formal certification. Some BSN programs are set up to meet the requirements for public health nursing, so the graduate would just need to apply in the state of licensure. Public health nurse certification also demonstrates that the nurse has the knowledge and skills needed to identify population health concerns and follow specific standards of care to meet the needs of that population.
University Of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois has three branches, Chicago, UrbanaChampaign, and Springfield. Each of these campuses are highly ranked and student-focused. While as autonomous entities, they each serve students separately, these three campuses combine their efforts to create the University of Illinois System Online Course Catalog. The programs and courses that make up this catalog are available fully online from the three campuses, are fully accredited and held to the same quality standards as the campus-based programs. Faculty from each school teach the online sections of the courses, including School of Public Health Faculty from the Chicago campus. Students who are enrolled in online programming with the University of Illinois system Online may take full advantage of the student support resources offered.
Advanced Community Public Health Practice CertificateCost: $$$$$
University Of North Texas
The University of North Texas has its own state of the art Health Science Center , which is a graduate level division of the University of North Texas System. It was founded in 1970 and is made up of five distinct colleges. The campus sits on 33 acres in what is known as the Cultural District of Fort Worth, Texas. They offer a myriad of health related degree including Public Health, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, and Physician Assistant Studies. They are also a hotbed of research and home to the TECH Fort Worth Laboratories, a biochemistry non-profit incubator.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center offers a Graduate Certificate Program in Public Health that is available online. This 15 credit hour program is geared towards working professionals who want to deepen their working knowledge of public health, and also for students who want to get their feet wet before committing to the MPH program. The program is made up of the core courses for the MPH program, so if students choose to pursue their Masters in Public Health, they can apply the courses from their certificate education to their MPH. Applicants must have a Bachelors degree and be able to submit the academic transcripts from every institution theyve attended.
Cost: $$$$$
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Public Health Nursing Certificate Requirements For California Bsn Students
Below youll find the steps you need to take to obtain a certificate as a post-licensure Public Health Nurse in the state of California. This is a voluntary certification post-graduation.
Education:
Must be a graduate of a BSN program that contains a minimum of 90 hours of supervised hands-on clinical experiences in a public health setting and completion of theory hours in designated content areas inclusive of 7 hours ofchild abuse identification, reporting and prevention. BSN program must hold programmatic accreditation .
Clearances:
Criminal Background Check: University of Phoenix students are required to obtain a criminal history background check that includes a federal level background check.
Drug Screens: Urine drug screens may be required by specific clinical agencies. Applications must acknowledge any investigation or pending disciplinary action by a nursing regulatory agency.
Fingerprint Clearance: Applicants are required to submit a full set of fingerprints for the purpose of obtaining State and Federal criminal record checks .
Must disclose any prior convictions or disciplinary action against licenses and/or certificates.
Licensure:
Must hold a current, active RN license in good standing in the state of California
Application Process
- Validation of program completion by the nursing program and
- Official transcript with degree conferral submitted by University of Phoenix Nursing also required.
Contact Information:
How To Apply For Public Health Nurse Certification
Public health nurses serve the community by implementing programs to improve health, educating the public, developing policies and serving as an advocate for the community. Nurses can become certified in public health nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The credential awarded to qualified nurses is Advanced Public Health Nurse-Board Certified.
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Where Do Public Health Nurses Work
Public health employers include:
- Nongovernmental organizations: Catholic Relief Services, Public Health Institute, ICF International and PATH
- Consulting firms: Thomson Reuters, Booz Allen Hamilton and BioStat Solutions Inc.
- Research organizations: American Institute for Research, RAND Corporation and National Center for Health Research
- Nonprofit organizations: American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
- Government agencies: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, National Cancer Institute and U.S. Peace Corps
- Hospitals and health care organizations: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Covance, HealthCore and IMS Health
Six What Are The Continuing Education Requirements For A Public Health Nurse
Public Health nurses have the same continuing education requirements as other RNs. This will vary on a state by state basis. There are no specific CEU requirements for public health nurses unless they have obtained advanced certification.
Generally, in order for an individual to renew their RN license, they will need to fill out an application, complete a specific number of CEU hours, and pay a nominal fee. Each state has specific requirements and it is important to check with the board of nursing prior to applying for license renewal.
A detailed look at Continuing Nurse Education hours can be found here.
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What Is A Public Health Certificate
Certificates are often of most interest to people who want to acquire a specialized set of skills and may or may not choose to continue in a degree in Public Health. They generally consist of 3 to 6 required courses, and focus on the basics or fundamentals of the field. Many of the certificates in the top 40 focus on required courses in some combination of the core competencies. These core concepts include epidemiology, health education, biostatistics, social and environmental health, and healthcare management.
Clearly, without obtaining your entire Masters in Public Health, a certificate program can only cover the basics, like an overview of the deeper concepts. Some of the certificate programs we featured below require introductory courses in each of these five, or pick two focus areas and require intro and secondary courses in the that concept. What many professionals choose to do with an online public health certificate is to supplement a non MPH degree, like a nursing degree, a medical degree, a social work degree, or even a finance or accounting degree, if they are working in a healthcare setting. Truthfully, the concepts that public health workers learn about could benefit anyone who works with the public.
Public Health Nurse Certificate
Section 2818 of the Business and Professions Code requires that in order to be employed as a Public Health Nurse, or use the term Public Health Nurse in California, an individual must possess a valid California Public Health Nurse Certificate.
The CSUN Nursing Program curriculum is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing to prepare eligible applicants for certification in Public Health Nursing in California. Certification is granted by the Board of Nursing after completion of curriculum and application to the Board.
The required courses to complete in the CSUN Nursing program to be eligible for the PHN certification are Community Health Nursing Lecture & Lab . Please check the eligibility requirements for this program. If you are interested in registering, please email Academic Advisor Sterling Davis at .
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Working As A Public Health Nurse
The COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, and a growing understanding of the social determinants of health have brought more attention than ever before to public health nursing. Many employers, including hospitals and health systems, nonprofits, and governments, are hiring public health RNs. Clinical placement or other experience in public health settings will help you find a public health nursing job, as will experience with the population you wish to serve or fluency in multiple languages. The average salary for a public health RN, according to PayScale, is $60,000.
Possible public health work settings include:
Submission Of Transcripts And Documents
Transcripts: Advanced Practice and PHN transcripts can be sent to our Board electronically from a certified third-party electronic transcripts vendor such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, or directly from your school. Electronic transcripts must be sent to .
Required Documents: Additional required documents and forms will be accepted electronically. Required advanced practice and PHN forms and documents will not be accepted from applicants and will only be accepted from the appropriate school, national organizations, and associations electronically to the following Board email address: .
You can check the progress of your online application by regularly logging into your BreEZe account or by using the Application Status and Details portal.
Please refer to our Processing Times page for current timeframes.
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Obtain Certification As A Certified Public Health Nurse
There is currently one certification for individuals in the public health nursing field, Certified Public Health.
This certification is the only one for nurses interested in becoming certified in public health. This certification is NOT only for nurses. To be eligible individuals must meet the specific criteria:
- At least a bachelors degree, in any concentration, and at least five subsequent years public health work experience OR
- A relevant graduate-level degree, and at least three subsequent years public health work experience OR
- A certificate from a school or program of public health that is accredited by or in applicant status with CEPH, and at least three subsequent years public health work experience
Other important information related to the certification include:
- Fee – $385
- Offered year-round
- Computer-based testing
- Active duty members of the US Armed Services may be able to use the benefits of the Military Tuition Assistance Program to pay for the CPH examination fee.
- 200 Questions
- 4 Hours to complete the exam
- All questions on the exam are multiple-choice and single-best answer.
- Some questions are: matching items part of a series of questions related to a common vignette and have associated pictorials or charts
Recertification includes:
- At least 50 recertification hours every two years
- $95 fee
Education And Experience Prerequisites
Nurses may qualify for certification in three ways. All three options require a current registered nurse license. The first way to qualify is to complete a graduate degree in public or community health nursing from an accredited program. The second option is to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a masters in public health. Finally, nurses may qualify with a graduate degree in nursing or a related field and 2,000 practice hours in public or community health nursing. All hours must be completed in the past three years. If the graduate degree is not a nursing degree, the undergraduate degree must be in nursing to qualify.
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Public Health Research Centers In California
Students in online MPH programs in California may opt to pursue research-oriented careers in the field of public health. These students should be aware of the prominent research centers located in the state. Students earning their MPH in California may want to tailor their studies to increase their chances of finding employment at these institutions.
- Berkeley School of Public Health: The Berkeley School of Public Health conducts research in the field of public health in areas that can be easily translated into action that directly benefits society.
- UCLA Center for Health Policy Research: The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research hosts the California Health Interview Survey and is affiliated with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. This center focuses on research areas that include healthcare reform, health economics, health insurance, health disparities, and chronic disease.
- San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health: Four GSPH-affiliated research centers in the San Diego area conduct community-based clinical research and support the education and training of public health students and professionals.
Quality Nursing Documentation: A Responsibility Not An Option
This webinar walks through the legal basis for nursing documentation and the elements of what makes nursing documentation high-quality. This is a free webinar that offers Nursing Continuing Professional Development through May 17, 2023. To receive NCPD, you must watch the webinar and click the survey link when it appears it is only available for a few minutes.
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Biostatistics For Public Health
This class provides an advanced introduction to biostatistical research and practice as it relates to public health. Students acquire advanced knowledge of descriptive statistics, graphical data representation, evaluation of diagnostic tests, statistical genetics, cohort and case control studies, and survival analysis.
Arizona Registered Nurse Licensure
Below you will find the steps needed to take the pre-licensure University of Phoenix LPN-to-BSN program and to obtain registered nurse licensure in the state of Arizona.
Education:
RN applicants must hold a Diploma, Associate Degree or Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from a Board-of-Nursing approved program.
Examination:
Passage of the NCLEX-RN exam is required for licensure. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. develops and administers nurse licensure examinations National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses . The NCLEX-RN examination is used by the Boards of Nursing/Regulatory Bodies to test entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure/registration as Registered Nurses. The NCLEX examinations are provided exclusively as computerized adaptive tests. The exam is coordinated by Pearson Vue, Inc. The candidate bulletin can be retrieved at the following link:
Clearances:
Criminal Background Check: For clinical experience, University of Phoenix students are required to obtain a criminal history background check that includes a federal level background check.
Drug Screens: Urine drug screens may be required by specific clinical agencies.
Applications must acknowledge any investigation or pending disciplinary action by a nursing regulatory agency.
Fingerprint Clearance: Applicants are required to submit a full set of fingerprints for analysis.
Application for Licensure:
Contact Information:
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University Of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, often called UMass Amherst or simply UMass, is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts. The university was founded in 1863 with a Morrill Land-Grant, although it did not begin enrolling students until 1867. UMass employs over 1,300 faculty members who serve more than 30,000 students each year, making it the largest public university in New England. The university and its researchers proudly boast its categorization as a Research University with Highest research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences is one of 10 colleges and was founded in 1938. It is frequently ranked in the top 25 in the nation for Public Health Education.
Graduate Certificate in Public Health EthicsCost: $$$$$
Public Health Nurse Certification
Home / Nursing Certifications / Public Health Nurse Certification
Public health nursing is a unique and challenging specialty. Public health nurses don’t just report to work and take care of an assigned number of patients they work with members of a community to promote wellness and preventive care. A large part of their daily duties is education, so public health nurses must be skilled in assessing learning needs and the community’s willingness to comply with health-related recommendations.
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Public Health Nurse Licensure And Certification
How to become a public health nurse? First, you must become a registered nurse by graduating from an accredited nursing school and passing the NCLEX-RN examination. While not legally required, certification demonstrates your knowledge of and commitment to public health, and many employers strongly prefer or require it.
RN Licensure: The NCLEX-RN examination is a multiple choice examination. To be eligible for the examination, you must graduate from an accredited nursing school and apply through your local state board of nursing. The fee for the examination is $200 and there may be other fees to apply for a license, based on your state.
Certified in Public Health : The National Board of Public Health Examiners offers the CPH credential. To be eligible for the examination, you must either have a bachelor’s degree and five years of experience in public health or have graduated from an accredited master’s or doctoral public health program. The test, which can be taken with a live proctor or at a testing center, costs $385.
Scoring The Top 40 Public Health Certificate Programs
We thought about asking Casey Kasem to count down these top 40 online certificate programs in public health, but we were too late to ask . Instead, MPH Online has ranked the top 40 online certificate programs in public health by their schools credentials overall. Each program is offered fully online except for number 8, University of Washington, which requires some on campus coursework. The colleges and universities that host these programs are ranked by three metrics, each evenly weighted one-third:
- Reputation
- Cost
- Student Success
Each, except for four, of these programs are offered by schools that are accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health , the most respected accrediting body in the field of Public Health. Those still seeking accreditation include Walden University, Capella University, Clarkson College, and MidAmerica Nazarene University.
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