A nurse was excited about being the only staff member in the public health department in a small rural area. Which of the following problems would the nurse most likely encounter? (Select all that apply.)

Question

a. There is no one with whom to collaborate or exchange ideas.
b. There will be no physician available to tell the nurse what needs to be done.
c. No feedback can be obtained from others.
d. The nurse may only be able to offer services supported by federal funds.
e. The nurse will have to raise local funds to support the department.
f.
There will not be any epidemiologists or sanitarians to help.

Answer 1

ANS: A, D, F
Many smaller local health departments do not have the economic base to employ other professional public health providers, such as physicians, epidemiologists, sanitarians, and nutritionists at the local level. The lack of additional onsite public health providers poses two problems. First, the ability to collaborate with others about potential or actual public health problems is decreased or nonexistent. Second, the ranges of services provided are less comprehensive. Often, these small facilities can only offer federally funded programs with few locally funded services. The nurse should be able to think independently to determine what needs to be done and should be able to work without physician direction. Feedback can be obtained from the population that the nurse is serving. Local, state and federal funds may all support the services that the nurse is providing. It is unlikely that the nurse will need to raise funds to support the work of the department; there should be local funding available for this nurse's position.