Public health nurses (PHNs) are a distinct specialty within the field of nursing and a core occupation within the public health workforce. However, PHNs do not have a distinct Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code to distinguish them from other nurses. Without a SOC code, federal government data, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, cannot be used to discern how many PHNs there are, what they are paid, or whether there is a shortage of PHNs. This lack of a SOC code for PHNs also makes it challenging to compare or aggregate data on PHNs from different states or data sources.

This article differentiates job duties, skills, and competencies between public health nurses and other registered nurses to create a clearer categorization of PHNs that could be recognized as a distinct occupation using SOC codes.

Don’t have access to the full text? Email Heather Krasna, hk2778@cumc.columbia.edu, to request a pdf version.