RN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING EDITION 9.0
COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ 2. A registered nurse is seeking a position as a public health nurse.
In reviewing the job description, the nurse would expect to find a
description of a position that focused on functions such as:
a. monitoring pregnant teenagers for symptoms of complications of
pregnancy.
b. offering free hypertension screening and treatment referral at
local health fairs to low-income, uninsured, community members.
c. partnering with local seasonal farmworkers to design a program
aimed at preventing illness and injury, and advocating for this
population with local political and community leaders.
d. preventing injury among a population of elderly residents in an
assisted living facility and treating residents' chronic illnesses.
Answer: ANS: C
The scope of practice of public health nurses is population focused
and community oriented, with a primary emphasis on population-
level interventions that target strategies for health promotion and
disease prevention. In addition, public health nursing is concerned
,with the health of all members of a population or community,
particularly vulnerable populations, and uses political processes as a
major intervention strategy.
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Associated Chapter Objective: 2
REF: p. 10
◉ 3. A public health nurse leader is encountering barriers when
trying to shift the public health agency's efforts to a population-
focused practice. The reasons peers are not supportive of the
proposed shift to a population focus are most likely related to:
a. agency colleagues' push for nurses to focus on population
initiatives.
b. costs associated with staff training and revision of documents.
c. lack of support from the agency's funding sources.
d. opinions that nursing should focus on the provision of direct
client care and services. Answer: ANS: D
Barriers to implementing population-focused care include lack of
understanding of the public health nurse role and its relationship to
,other roles in nursing, such as direct care and services; workplace
role socialization that determines what roles are appropriate and
inappropriate or accessible and inaccessible for nurses; and lack of
comprehensive training at the graduate level in the disciplines basic
to public health such as epidemiology, biostatistics, community
development, service administration, and policy formation.
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Associated Chapter Objective: 5
REF: pp. 17-18
◉ 4. The role and goals of the community health nursing practice
can best be described as:
a. community-based interventions aimed at promoting, preserving,
and maintaining the health of populations residing in institutional
facilities such as nursing homes.
b. education of nurses and other staff working in community-based
and community-oriented settings to improve the overall
effectiveness of their programs to meet client needs.
c. population-level strategies aimed at promoting, preserving, and
maintaining the health of populations through the delivery of
personal health care services to individuals, families, and groups in
an effort to improve the health of the community as a whole.
, d. activities targeted at improving the health status of clients served
by community-based health service agencies such as hospice and
home health agencies. Answer: ANS: C
Community health nursing practice is the synthesis of nursing
theory and public health theory applied to promoting, preserving,
and maintaining the health of populations through the delivery of
personal health care services to individuals, families, and groups.
The focus of community health nursing practice is the health of
individuals, families, and groups and the effect of their health status
on the health of the community as a whole (individual to families to
groups to community flow). This is different from public health
nursing, which is the synthesis of nursing theory and public health
theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of
populations. The focus of public health nursing practice is the
community as a whole and the effect that the community's health
status, including health care resources, has on the health of
individuals, families, and groups (community to groups to families to
individual flow). Both community health and public health nursing
are considered to be community-oriented practices involving free-
living (noninstitutionalized) clients. Community-based nursing
practice is setting specific, and care is provided to clients where they
live (home health or hospice nursing, community-based clinic), work
(occupational health nursing), and/or attend school (school
nursing). The emphasis of community-based nursing practice is
acute and chronic care (illness care) and the provision of
COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ 2. A registered nurse is seeking a position as a public health nurse.
In reviewing the job description, the nurse would expect to find a
description of a position that focused on functions such as:
a. monitoring pregnant teenagers for symptoms of complications of
pregnancy.
b. offering free hypertension screening and treatment referral at
local health fairs to low-income, uninsured, community members.
c. partnering with local seasonal farmworkers to design a program
aimed at preventing illness and injury, and advocating for this
population with local political and community leaders.
d. preventing injury among a population of elderly residents in an
assisted living facility and treating residents' chronic illnesses.
Answer: ANS: C
The scope of practice of public health nurses is population focused
and community oriented, with a primary emphasis on population-
level interventions that target strategies for health promotion and
disease prevention. In addition, public health nursing is concerned
,with the health of all members of a population or community,
particularly vulnerable populations, and uses political processes as a
major intervention strategy.
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Associated Chapter Objective: 2
REF: p. 10
◉ 3. A public health nurse leader is encountering barriers when
trying to shift the public health agency's efforts to a population-
focused practice. The reasons peers are not supportive of the
proposed shift to a population focus are most likely related to:
a. agency colleagues' push for nurses to focus on population
initiatives.
b. costs associated with staff training and revision of documents.
c. lack of support from the agency's funding sources.
d. opinions that nursing should focus on the provision of direct
client care and services. Answer: ANS: D
Barriers to implementing population-focused care include lack of
understanding of the public health nurse role and its relationship to
,other roles in nursing, such as direct care and services; workplace
role socialization that determines what roles are appropriate and
inappropriate or accessible and inaccessible for nurses; and lack of
comprehensive training at the graduate level in the disciplines basic
to public health such as epidemiology, biostatistics, community
development, service administration, and policy formation.
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Associated Chapter Objective: 5
REF: pp. 17-18
◉ 4. The role and goals of the community health nursing practice
can best be described as:
a. community-based interventions aimed at promoting, preserving,
and maintaining the health of populations residing in institutional
facilities such as nursing homes.
b. education of nurses and other staff working in community-based
and community-oriented settings to improve the overall
effectiveness of their programs to meet client needs.
c. population-level strategies aimed at promoting, preserving, and
maintaining the health of populations through the delivery of
personal health care services to individuals, families, and groups in
an effort to improve the health of the community as a whole.
, d. activities targeted at improving the health status of clients served
by community-based health service agencies such as hospice and
home health agencies. Answer: ANS: C
Community health nursing practice is the synthesis of nursing
theory and public health theory applied to promoting, preserving,
and maintaining the health of populations through the delivery of
personal health care services to individuals, families, and groups.
The focus of community health nursing practice is the health of
individuals, families, and groups and the effect of their health status
on the health of the community as a whole (individual to families to
groups to community flow). This is different from public health
nursing, which is the synthesis of nursing theory and public health
theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of
populations. The focus of public health nursing practice is the
community as a whole and the effect that the community's health
status, including health care resources, has on the health of
individuals, families, and groups (community to groups to families to
individual flow). Both community health and public health nursing
are considered to be community-oriented practices involving free-
living (noninstitutionalized) clients. Community-based nursing
practice is setting specific, and care is provided to clients where they
live (home health or hospice nursing, community-based clinic), work
(occupational health nursing), and/or attend school (school
nursing). The emphasis of community-based nursing practice is
acute and chronic care (illness care) and the provision of
