GANS Image of Nursing Project

Greetings from the Georgia Association of Nursing Students! My name is Kristen Clay, and I am a member of the State Executive Board. I have been working on an award project to submit at the National Convention for the National Student Nurses’ Association. This award is titled the “Image of Nursing” Award. The purpose of the Image of Nursing Project Award is to promote a positive image of nursing and demonstrate a significant contribution to the public and/or community through image of nursing projects. The theme this year is the “Ripple Effect of Nursing”.

There are many misconceptions about nursing. So, my goal is to bring the truths to surface, and correct these misconceptions. I feel that perhaps the best place to begin is in the setting where the majority of our profession practices-the hospitals, with the patients that are in our care. So, I have created a pamphlet to give to patients, and their family members or loved ones, to inform them of what their nurses are doing for them. I hope that by informing these patients of the facts, a positive image of nursing will be portrayed.

I am sending you this pamphlet so that we can begin this “ripple effect” to positively portray nursing. I would like for this pamphlet to be given to your staff, your patients, visitors, and to be placed in your waiting areas. Together, we can work to correct the many misconceptions that people have of nursing. Thank you very much.

Kristen Clay

Public Relations Director

NSNA’S 2009-2010 IMAGE OF NURSING AWARD WINNING PROJECT

Want to learn more about how you can shape the Image of Nursing?

Visit http://www.nursingadvocacy.org

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Advancing Public Health Nursing in Georgia through the PEW Initiative

What is Public Health Nursing?
Public Health Nursing is a fundamental resource for the protection and promotion of health within the community. We rely on Public Health Nurses (PHN’s) to inform and educate us about health care issues and provide a range of public health services including the prevention of epidemics and spread of disease, protection against health hazards, and the promotion of healthy behaviors. PHN’s not only develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts, but they serve as a vital link between the un/under-insured population and much needed health services, assuring the provision of health care when it is otherwise unavailable.

What is the PEW initiative?
Because the Public Health Nurse is key to improving the health status of Georgians, our public health system is facing a crisis due to the rapidly decreasing nursing workforce. With a loss of more than 230 PHN’s in the last three years, Georgia’s public health system is struggling to deliver adequate health care to the community.

To address this issue the Georgia Public Health Nursing Practice and Education Workgroup initiative was developed. This initiative established a regional Practice and Education Workgroup (PEW) for each of the 18 public health districts, in an effort to connect public health practitioners with educators from local nursing schools. This partnership between educators and practitioners is necessary in order increase the public health nursing workforce.

How can nursing students participate in the PEW initiative?
Public Health Nursing needs your help! One of the goals of the PEW initiative is to develop ideas to improve the recruitment and retention of student nurses into the field of public health. At the groups’ winter meeting in December, 2008, GANS presented the student perspective on public health nursing and offered suggestions for improvement in educational and clinical public health experiences. To expand upon this student perspective and gather more information, the workgroups have invited students from each district to participate in the regional workgroups. If you are interested in participating in the PEW initiative, please contact the GANS President by email at ganspresident@gmail.com.