- Community Health Nursing -
Competencies for Entry Level Nursing Practice in Canada
Community health nursing competencies are required for entry level
nursing practice in Canada and are tested on the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam.
Community nursing practice in Canada focuses on promoting the
health of populations and is much broader in scope than just going into the community to provide care to
client's in their home.
Canadians are familiar with nurses in their communities. Visiting nurses have always provided care in
people's homes and historically this was the most common way that individuals received nursing care prior
to the establishment of community hospitals.
But the care provided to Canadians in the community by registered nurses was not limited to bedside nursing.
Registered nurses have always worked in the community setting providing health education,
immunizations, post-natal support, and rehabilitation to a wide variety of clients experiencing a wide variety of health
challenges.
"The practice of community health nursing combines nursing
theory and knowledge, social sciences and public health science
with primary health care. Community health nurses view disease
prevention, health protection and health promotion as goals of
professional nursing practice (Smith, 1990). They collaborate with
individuals, families, groups, communities and populations to
design and carry out community development, health promotion
and disease prevention strategies. They identify and promote care
decisions that build on the capacity of the individual or community.
A critical part of their practice is to mobilize resources to support
health by coordinating care and planning services, programs and
policies with individuals, caregivers, families, other disciplines,
organizations, communities and government(s)."
You will note from this explanation from the
Community Health Nurses Association of Canada that there is emphasis placed on
the promotion of population health and the ability to engage in capacity
building and community development.
There is also emphasis on understanding the social organization of the community and government structures and policies
that are the context of community nursing.
Another part of the definition that is important to understand is the reference to
collaboration in nursing practice.
The Canadian Registered Nurse Exam
The promotion of population health requires special knowledge and skills which are included in the
entry level nursing competencies in Canada.
All nurses educated in Canada are prepared to meet the competencies for working as a community health nurse.
No additional education is needed other than the university degree required for graduation.
Here are some (not all) of the competencies tested on the
Canadian Registered Nurse Exam that required community nursing knowledge and skills:
- HW-3 collaborates with key partners in health promotion activities
(e.g., community leaders, public and private-sector organizations, special interest groups).
- HW-6 collaborates with clients to identify appropriate groups and resources for mutual aid, support and community action (eg. poverty, holessness,marginalized and vulnerable populations).
- HW-7 collaborates with other health care team members in implementing strategies that prevent violence, abuse, and
neglect (e.g., using screening tools, providing information).
- HW-10 collaborates with other health care team members in implementing strategies to promote mental health (eg. stress management, support groups, coping strategies, public policy, crisis intervention).
- HW-27 uses data collection techniques that are appropriate to the client and the situation (eg. community assessment).
In Canada, the community health nurse practices under the
same nursing scope of practice as the
registered nurse practicing in a hospital and providing
bedside care.
The community health nurse and the bedside nurse must also maintain the same nursing standards of practice
set by the provincial regulatory nursing organization.
More information on the
Canadian Registered Nurse Exam
Comparison of the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam and the
NCLEX exam in the United States of America.
Read about the
Substantially Equivalent Competency assessment now being used in British Columbian and Alberta.
View the
structural variables that affect the look and feel of the CRNE.
