A National Survey of Educational and Training Preferences and Practices for Public Health Nurses in Canada

Background: The effective mix of public health professionals has been the focus of recent policies and literature. Information is limited on the preferences for training and continuing education of the Canadian Public Health Workforce. This information could assist in surge capacity efforts and help in evaluating the success of workforce development strategies and recruitment/retention efforts.

Method: The Canadian Public Health Workforce Survey was conducted in 2015 by the Canadian Public Health Association in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The survey was conducted to inform an ongoing evaluation of the PHAC's workforce development. This article reports on a subset of the survey: public health nurses (PHNs).

Results: The response rate to the survey was approximately 40% (2,075 participants); 470 respondents (22.7%) were PHNs. Challenges faced by PHNs to pursuing continuing education include a lack of targeted training, resources, and coordinated training efforts.

Conclusion: The results provide insight into potential direction to support the work of PHNs in practice including a need for a coordinated approach to continuing education. Future educational strategies should consider tailored education strategies for PHNs. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(1):25-31.].