PERCEPTIONS OF PUBLIC-HEALTH NURSING - VIEWS FROM THE FIELD

While there has been considerable debate about future roles for public health nurses, there is little research that explores public health n ursing from the practitioner's perspective. The findings reported in t his paper are part of a larger study that explored public health nurse s' perspectives and experiences of their practice: what they do and ho w they feel about what they do. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth individual and focus group interviews with 28 female public health nurses (PHNs) in Alberta, Canada. This paper describes how PHNs feel about their work. The analysis revealed that public health nurse s perceived that their work was valuable and worthwhile, enjoyable, de manding, and not well understood by others. These perceptions are disc ussed in terms of their implications for the future role of public hea lth nursing in a reformed health care system and for the quality of nu rsing work-life.