One of the special things about a nursing career is its endless opportunities to positively impact patients, communities and the world. The nursing profession has a variety of settings and specialties, from perioperative nursing to public health and beyond, and there are many avenues for nurses to have an impact.
Public health nursing is one way to scale impact by driving policy changes that create a positive change for the public and their individual and collective health. Public health nurses see the intricate, complex connections between public health policy decisions and patients’ health. They directly influence the well-being of patients every day and bridge the gaps in healthcare access and outcomes.
To celebrate National Public Health Week, April 1-7, meet Oluwatosin Olateju, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN, Assistant Professor at Coppin State University and Co-Chair of the Maryland Commission on Public Health.
Dr. Olateju began her nursing career at the bedside in 2011. Starting at the University of Maryland Medical Center's neurology and neurosurgery departments, she transitioned to psychiatric nursing two years later. However, she noticed that patients were returning to the hospital and felt called to understand what was happening in their lives that spurred their continued returns for care.
She enrolled and completed the University of Maryland School of Nursing's graduate Public Health Nursing program, and then became the HIV Program Manager at a county health department, which exposed her to the health disparities within the community and public health gaps, including underfunding and staff shortages. She leaned into the inherent role of nurses as patient advocates and began looking for ways to improve community health outcomes beyond the bedside.
“I was determined to bring about change, but I soon realized it wasn’t just about resources,” she said. “Policies also played a significant role.”
Why nurses can make an impact
The following year, she enrolled in the doctoral public health program at Morgan State University, where a class assignment opened her eyes to gaps in HIV prevention legislation for minors. Driven by her work as a program manager, she advocated for changes in consent law to include an important distinction that permits minors to independently access pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Thanks to Dr. Olateju, high-risk adolescents now have the same capacity as adults to consent to treatment to prevent HIV. It's a demonstration of nurses’ power of patient advocacy that reduces barriers to care and drives upstream change to improve community health.
“Nurses are well-positioned to advocate for policy changes,” she said. “They should not be afraid to sit at the tables when needed or when they are called upon.”
In 2022, she was named co-chair of the Maryland's Commission on Public Health while holding a full-time faculty nursing position at Coppin State University and joining the state’s affiliate for the American Public Health Association as Advocacy Committee co-chair.
Throughout the legislative year, she and her colleagues write testimonies in support of public health legislation and call on nurses for their input. The group also testified in support of House Bill 214: Establishing the Commission on Public Health to make recommendations to improve the delivery of foundational public health services in Maryland.
In 2023, the bill was passed, and Dr. Olateju and her team are working to assess the foundational public health capabilities of the Maryland Department of Health and local health departments, as well as make recommendations for future policies to improve access and equity.
“Nurses need to be involved in health advocacy. They need to be involved in societal issues so that it can help impact health outcomes,” she said.
What makes a great public health nurse
According to Dr. Olateju, public health nurses are especially dedicated to being a voice for the vulnerable. Public health nursing is deeply rooted in the protection, promotion and preservation of population health, and these nurses engage their colleagues and the community to achieve a common goal. Public health nurses create and witness the transformation that happens right in the communities they serve. It’s a gratifying experience that inspires Dr. Olateju because she knows having nurses at the table when policy decisions are made is critical to creating tangible change.
“It made me realize that as a nurse I have the power to influence policy,” she said. “I continue to grow in this space and bring other nurses to the table and let them know that, like me, they also have a voice to drive change.”
