title: [Survey on public health nursing education-in the comparison of nursing education courses, universities, advanced courses for public health nurse with junior nursing colleges, and public health nursing school].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Changes in public health nursing education have been consideration. Theses changes include a dramatic increase in the number of public health nurses (PHNs) who have enrolled for nursing courses at university. This study was conducted to assess the current status and future of public health nursing education as perceived by teachers and students at three types of schools: universities offering nursing courses, advanced courses for PHNs with junior nursing colleges, and public health nursing schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were distributed to teachers and students by mail. The questions that were sent to teachers asked which subjects were required to become a certified PHN, which lecture methods were employed to teach public health-particularly community health assessment methods, and what was the level of awareness of the activities of PHNs. Students were asked about their motivation to be a PHN, their understanding of public health, their views of public health activities and their images of PHNs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses were analyzed and differences between questionnaires from different schools were noted. These included the number of subjects and the total number of hours spent doing practical training and field experience in universities and the other types of schools, and the number of teachers. Differences also were noted among students at three types of schools about their age, methods of public health activities, knowledge about activities undertaken by PHNs, and their images of PHNs. No differences were observed among the schools with respect to the students' conceptual understanding of public health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Student age, practical training and field experience were found to contribute to their level of understanding of public health and public health nursing. It is thus necessary to consider the teaching methods employed by universities that administer nursing courses and the effectiveness of courses offered by graduate schools.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health.
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Katuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanagawa
authors.forename: Sigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirayama
authors.forename: Akie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ymazaki
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumura
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D004506:Education, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D012579:Schools, Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012581:Schools, Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*