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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2008.150029v1 99/5/944    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bekemeier, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bekemeier, B. Related Collections Health Professionals Public Health Practice Public Health Workers

Betty Bekemeier, PhD, MPH, RN

At the time this research was completed, the author was with the School of Public Health & Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, and was a doctoral student in the School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Betty Bekemeier, Psychosocial and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Box 357263, Seattle, WA 98195-7263 (e-mail: bettybek{at}u.washington.edu).

Objectives. I explored the underutilization of the community/public health nursing (C/PHN) credential by examining the individual characteristics of public health nurses, the value these nurses perceive for certification, the barriers they perceive to obtaining or maintaining a C/PHN credential, and their credential status.

Methods. I surveyed a national sample of 655 public health nurses regarding this more than 20-year-old credential. I analyzed variables related to perceived value, barriers, and characteristics of public health nurses.

Results. The perceived value of credentialing did not differ among public health nurses relative to whether they had ever had a C/PHN credential. The C/PHN credential, however, was obtained significantly more often by public health nurses in academic settings than by those working in practice settings.

Conclusions. The C/PHN credential appears to be disproportionately underutilized and unknown to public health nurses in the practice community. Findings suggest, however, that utilization could be improved by increasing the credential's visibility outside of academic environments and by establishing system-level changes that provide external recognition, such as salary increases and career advancement, for specialty credentials.