Public Health Task Force

CASN Public Health Task Force
Operational Committee

Mandate
The CASN Public Health Task Force will provide advice and guidance to CASN regarding the Public Health Agency of Canada funded project “Mobilising the Development of Entry to Practice Discipline Specific Public Health Nursing Competencies in Undergraduate Nursing Curricula”. The Public Health Task Force will assist CASN to meet the objectives of the project which are to: 1) Development of a national consensus-based framework of essential discipline-specific, entry-to-practice public health nursing competencies and indicators that align with the Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada  (PHAC, 2008); 2) Support the creation of a toolkit with teaching and learning resources, and strategies to build nursing faculty capacity to integrate the competencies into undergraduate nursing curricula; and, 3) Plan a professional development webinar series (known as Fireside Chats) on integrating the competencies, which will be delivered in partnership with CHNET-Works!.

Terms of Reference:
Working with CASN staff, the Task Force will provide direction and guidance regarding:

  • The development of entry-to-practice, discipline-specific public health nursing competencies.
  • The development of a toolkit of public health nursing teaching and learning resources.
  • The program for a National Stakeholder Symposium to be held in October 2013.
  • The creation and presentation of six Fireside Chats (webinars) with themes related to public health nursing competency developing, teaching techniques, highlighting specific resources, etc.
  • Communication and dissemination strategies.

Term of Office and Membership
The project work will begin in January 2013 through to December 2015, or until the project is completed. Members of the committee are:

  • Public health champions who have a background and interest in public health nursing. Including:
    • Faculty representing the various regions of CASN;
    • Representatives of leading nursing and health care professional organizations;
    • Representatives of employers;
    • A regulatory body representative; and,
    • A student and/or recent graduate of an undergraduate program representative.
  • The Task Force will be headed by the Chair of the Competency Development Working Group and the Chair of the Dissemination Working Group.
  • The Chairs are approved by the CASN Executive Director.
  • The Task Force will report to the CASN Executive Director or her designate.
  • Task Force members are requested to participate on one of two working groups. The two groups are the Competency Development Working Group and the Dissemination Working Group.

Meetings
The Task Force will meet bi-monthly by teleconference or through on-line venues. There will be an in-person National Stakeholder Forum that the Task Force is asked to attend. CASN will cover the costs of attending the National Stakeholder Forum for Task Force members.

Approved by CASN Board of Directors: April 30th, 2013