Community health education: future skills or a dead-end?

Abstract

The introduction of Community PREP was welcomed as a chance for OHNs to become part of the community health team. However, recent plans for primary health have excluded OH nursing, and the disappearance of diploma level education has raised concerns that OHNs are not being provided with the core skills required by employers. HELEN KOGAN asks if OHNs are not to be included within the primary healthcare team, where do they fit? And if not, are the right skills for employment being provided by degree-level education?