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Public health nurse skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Julie Williams Merten PhD, MCHES,

Corey Hannah

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical public health nurse skills. We ranked the top skills for public health nurses based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.8% of public health nurse resumes contained community health as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a public health nurse needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 public health nurse skills for your resume and career

1. Community Health

Community health is a category of medical speciality that places its attention on the well being of people. The main focus is mental and physical well-being of these people located in a specific region geographically. It seeks to help community people maintain and enhance their health in order to prevent disease spread.

Here's how public health nurses use community health:

Assessed individuals and conducted community health screenings and needs assessments that improved patient access to information and services.
Participate in defining and addressing community health needs through consultation, recruitment of providers and development of resources.

2. Patients

Here's how public health nurses use patients:

Coordinated multidisciplinary care of patients with physicians, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapist; and social workers.
Performed physical examinations of the patients using various medical equipment and also performed laboratory tests for patients.

3. Health Education

Health education refers to education concerning healthcare.

Here's how public health nurses use health education:

Created and presented bimonthly health education seminars to further aid health education and motivation towards achieving a healthy and safe lifestyle.
Assisted Public Health team in epidemiological investigations by interviewing patients with communicable diseases, and provided relevant health education.

4. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how public health nurses use cpr:

Produced and conducted staff classes such as CPR, respiratory protection, infectious diseases, etc.
Certified CPR instructor for Area 10 Alabama Public Health Dept.

5. Communicable Diseases

Here's how public health nurses use communicable diseases:

Conducted research on Communicable Diseases and collaborated with senior management to implement programs and policies based on findings.
Investigated and monitored reports of communicable diseases such as measles, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis.

6. Home Health

Here's how public health nurses use home health:

Managed daily operations and supervised home health agency staff.
Provide skilled nursing services in client's home, disease and medication management, supervision of home health and private staff.

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7. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how public health nurses use community resources:

Managed a caseload of approximately 120 families requiring in depth and complex counseling and referrals for community resources.
Researched, developed and maintained community resources; initiated medical and social service referrals for clients.

8. Health Promotion

Health promotion refers to programs aimed at engaging and empowering individuals to select healthy behaviors.

Here's how public health nurses use health promotion:

Participated in community programs, educational and health promotional activities in urban and rural setting.
Supervised thirty one staff members in clinic health promotion and disease-prevention programs.

9. Disease Prevention

The term business-to-consumer (B2C) refers to the process of selling services and products directly between a business and consumers and the organizations that follow this format of selling are referred to as B2C companies. This format enables companies to sell products directly to the consumer and bypassing third-party retailers, wholesalers, and other middlemen.

Here's how public health nurses use disease prevention:

Plan disease prevention activities and provide disease control interventions as needed as local Disease Prevention and Control co-coordinator.
Work with high-risk populations for disease prevention and education that includes collaboration with state disease intervention specialists.

10. TB

Here's how public health nurses use tb:

Conducted contact investigations, identified and screened individuals exposed to active TB.
Dispensed medications and provided education for TB patients.

11. Care Coordination

Here's how public health nurses use care coordination:

Provided case management services, including community referrals, care coordination, patient education and the development of individualized care plans.
Provided care coordination, referral and follow-up to individuals and families while evaluating outcomes and effectiveness of plan.

12. Health Issues

Here's how public health nurses use health issues:

Provided case management to individuals with comprehensive health issues.
Educated Community members about environmentally-related health issues.

13. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how public health nurses use mental health:

Provide preventative and wellness educational materials to all soldiers mobilizing and demobilizing with specific emphasis on PTSD and mental health wellness.
Determined client functionality, including mental health status.

14. Epidemiology

Here's how public health nurses use epidemiology:

Provide follow up and perform investigations related to epidemiology reports for sexually transmitted diseases.
Directed and analyzed contact investigations in conjunction with Epidemiology.

15. Child Health

Here's how public health nurses use child health:

Provided case management of Medicaid-sponsored patients in a prenatal and a child health clinic
Participated in a comprehensive assessment of countywide maternal-child health needs.

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What skills help Public Health Nurses find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on public health nurse resumes?

Julie Williams Merten PhD, MCHES

Associate Professor of Public Health Program Director, Interdisciplinary Health Studies Community Engagement Coordinator, University of North Florida

As with everything, it is all in the eye of the beholder. However, most astute hiring officials are keen to look for trends in the resume. For instance, they want to see that a person has been striving and accomplishing throughout their career; call it a pattern of ambition, if you will. For recent graduates, that can be tricky, but they can demonstrate ambition by showing their involvement in university leadership positions, philanthropic work, and experience via internships, field experiences, or paid employment. Many employers have shared that they can teach a new graduate the skill they will need for the job, but they can't teach work ethic, a good attitude, commitment to excellence, and the ability to get along with others.

For more seasoned public health professionals, employers are looking at the same patterns of success but also for the required experience, whether it be management experience or proficiency with certain programs or systems.

What soft skills should all public health nurses possess?

Corey Hannah

Program Director, Master of Science in Athletic Training, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Empathy, sensitivity, and confidentiality in a medical environment, confidence, and trust to ensure credibility.

What hard/technical skills are most important for public health nurses?

Dr. Kara Cecil

Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Indianapolis

I hear from our internship supervisors and managers in the field that many graduates lack adequate skills in common word processing systems like Excel. So many school systems have moved to a Google-based system. Students may be proficient in these systems, but in the workforce, I am hearing most workplaces utilize traditional Word programs such as Microsoft Office. Students can intentionally develop this skill set by choosing to complete some work in these programs. Proficiency in one will facilitate the use of another. But, when a graduate has a new position with 40 hours per week of work expected, spending time learning the idiosyncrasies of an unfamiliar program gets in the way of success. In addition to this, I would suggest graduates keep a lifelong learning mindset. Your coursework cannot possibly prepare you for every work challenge. The field is evolving too fast to rest on your laurels. We should always stay curious, keep reading, and continue to look for new ways to improve our work and world.

What public health nurse skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Sara Oswalt Ph.D.

Department Chair and Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio

Communication - both oral and written - and contact tracing. In the virtual world, how we communicate in email and online platforms has been increasingly important. As we return to more in-person interactions, these skills -- communicating professional and clearly -- remain important to distinguish yourself from others. If it is possible to get a part-time job as contact tracer, do it. While contact tracing has gained attention because of the pandemic, it's a standard practice in public health related to other infectious diseases and STIs (think back to HIV/AIDS in 1990s). Talking with people about their health and their behaviors is a skill that many graduates don't have "real world" experience in; getting that experience can distinguish your application.

What type of skills will young public health nurses need?

Vanessa Lamers

Assistant Director of Performance Management and Quality Improvement, Public Health Foundation (PHF)

The public health workforce has been rapidly changing, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Epidemiology is an interdisciplinary field that requires expertise in qualitative and quantitative science, but also the ability to interpret and communicate complex data, and a strong understanding of how a variety of items influence health, including laws and policies, housing, segregation, racism, health care, and education. Recent public health graduates can assess their skills using the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals and access additional training on the TRAIN Learning Network.

What technical skills for a public health nurse stand out to employers?

Dr. Antonio Fernandez

Professor, Barry University

To properly implement this new, inevitable working culture which will impact the job market, the employers will start looking for the new type of employee, capable of efficiently working alone, remotely, flexible in the hours, and schedule accommodation since no physical buildings will be necessary thus eliminating the need for the teams sharing a location in a given city or even country. Meeting, conferences, discussions will be held with participants in different geographical and time zones. The capacity to adapt to continuous changes and innovation will be an indispensable skill sought after by employers second only to the most important, the highest valued skill technical knowledge and expertise in the new formats. Computer, digitalization, web navigation, encryption of data and messages.

Do you want to know more?

List of public health nurse skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a public health nurse resume and required skills for a public health nurse to have include:

Community Health
Patients
Health Education
CPR
Communicable Diseases
Home Health
Community Resources
Health Promotion
Disease Prevention
TB
Care Coordination
Health Issues
Mental Health
Epidemiology
Child Health
Immunization

School Health
Registered Nursing
Infection Control
Rehabilitation
Community Agencies
Medical Care
Foster Care
Tuberculosis
Social Services
Maternal Child
IV
PHN
Public Health
Infectious Disease
Substance Abuse
Health Assessments

Blood Pressure
Early Intervention
Standing Orders
Community Outreach
Primary Care
Pregnant Women
Child Care
Physical Assessments
Patient Education
STD
Health Screenings
STI
Direct Patient Care
Resuscitation
Foster Children
Nursing Diagnosis

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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