Introduction to Community Health Nursing Perspectives

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of community health nursing through the lens of primary health care. The course focuses on the health of various populations and explores the ways in which health is largely a socially determined phenomenon. The care of diverse populations within Canada who are structurally underserved feature prominently in class readings and lectures as students develop a critical understanding of the complex contexts and everyday circumstances in which members of different social groups negotiate access to health through various existing and overlapping health structures. Students explore a variety of key concepts including principles of population health, primary health care, social determinants of health, health promotion, disease prevention, epidemiology, health education, health systems/structures, cultural safety, and community capacity building. Students will ground their understanding of these concepts in core values of primary health care, including social justice and equity, as they begin to navigate the role of the community health nurse in providing greater access to care for diverse communities. This course lays the theoretical groundwork for the senior year course in primary health care and community health nursing practice.