NBPHE Launches Public Health Nursing Survey

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is conducting a worldwide Public Health Nursing Job Task Analysis Survey and is aiming to receive 5,000 responses. Please be sure to participate by taking the survey and to share a link to the survey with other public health nursing professionals and organizations representing public health nursing.

The study is being conducted to determine the most common functions of the public health nursing workforce on a region-by-region basis across the globe. This study will analyze the responsibilities of the global public health nursing workforce.

A subset of responses will be used to inform the development of the exam content outline for a public health nursing certification program.

A preliminary analysis and the data set will also be made available to partner organizations, including schools and programs of public health, for further analysis. The elements the NBPHE will collect include:

• Common functions and responsibilities
• Employer type and organizational affiliation
• Primary skills and area of expertise
• Educational background

The NBPHE is seeking responses from all individuals currently working as public health nurses. A toolkit which includes social media posts, sample emails and newsletter articles is available at nbphe.org/PHNpromo

Take the survey today at nbphe.org/PHNsurvey

Your work as a public health nurse is essential. Help shape the future of public health nursing. Your voice matters!

For more information about the public health nursing certification, visit nbphe.org/public-health-nursing-certification/.

Frequently Asked Questions
  
Why is a Public Health Nursing Job Task Analysis being conducted?
The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is conducting a worldwide public health nursing job task analysis for two important reasons:

• Assess and define the essential competencies and most common tasks of the public health nursing workforce on a region-by-region basis across the globe. This study will capture the responsibilities of the public health nursing workforce which will allow NBPHE to publish and share the results of this study later this year.
• Develop the content outline for a new public health nursing certification program.

A committee develops the content outline through a JTA process every 5-7 years to ensure the certification exam tests candidates on the tasks most commonly performed in public health nursing. The integrity of the exam starts with this process and depends on an adequate number of survey responses.

What is a Job Task Analysis (JTA)?
A Job Task Analysis is a method of determining the essential functions of a set of jobs or a profession. Certification bodies collect Information using a survey instrument and analyze aggregate data based on survey responses. This is the most common method they use to determine the content tested on their certification exam.

Can I share this survey?
Yes! Please share this message with public health organizations and colleagues in your network. The NBPHE is looking for responses from as many public health nurses as possible, working in all employment settings such as private sector, non-profits, clinical public health and foundations, for example.

Should I take this survey?
If you are currently working as a public health nurse, yes, we invite you to respond. Please share the opportunity to respond with your colleagues.

Can students respond?
As long as you have experience working in public health nursing, yes, the NBPHE welcomes your responses.

How long will it take?
Approximately 30-45 minutes altogether. The survey includes 44 questions, followed by profile questions where you can submit professional information about yourself.

Will my answers remain confidential?
Yes. We will not ask for your name. We will analyze responses in the aggregate and will not share or review your individual response set. The survey will ask for an email address, but providing your email is optional. Collecting email addresses from respondents will allow us to share the study results, but we will not link them to your responses.

Who put together the survey questions?
The organizers carefully selected members of the public health nursing job task analysis committee to represent a mix of nurses at a supervisor level from non-profits, private section employers, and health departments. In December 2024, they participated in a two-day workshop with measurement specialists who led them through a training process and assisted them in developing a set of tasks that represent the most common tasks performed in public health nursing. 
 
What happens after the survey is completed?
The survey closes on April 30, 2025. The job task analysis committee will review responses and identify tasks lacking sufficient input for inclusion in the final data set. They will also review all open comments submitted through the survey. Afterward, the NBPHE will analyze the remaining data set and publish a draft report on the common functions in public health nursing on a region-by-region basis across the globe. NBPHE will also perform a factor analysis on a subset of responses which will be the basis for the development of a content outline for a public health nursing certification  exam. We will provide partner organizations with an analysis of the responses and a de-identified data set for their own analysis.