After completing their nursing program, nursing students are often confused between pursuing a career as a Hospital Nurse or a Community Health Worker. There are several differences between Hospital and Community Health workers.
Community nursing strives to reduce the number of patients who need hospital care, while hospital nurses frequently deal with diseases after they have advanced.
You will be able to tell the difference between hospital and community health nurses after reading this article.
Major Differences between a Hospital Nurse and a Community Nurse or Health Worker
Below are the basic differences between a hospital Nurse and a community health worker
| Nurse | Community Health Worker (CHEW) |
| Nurses that work in hospitals are population-focused or orientated. | Community Health workers are assigned to a certain community and offer a variety of services based on the community's unique requirements. |
| The sole focus of a unit of service is the individual hospitalized patient or patients in a ward unit. | The emphasis of the service unit is on two things: small groups and families. The nurse is interested in subgroups of persons or community subgroups. |
| Dedicated to the treatment and care of the ill, as well as the restoration of an individual's balance toward health. | Focused on improving health, as well as maintaining a sense of balance toward health, early illness diagnosis, and assessing care (restorative, facilitation, and rehabilitation). |
| Patients are constantly under medical supervision. Many components of nursing care tasks are framed by the diagnostic and treatment instructions. | There are situations when neither patient nor the family under medical care has a medical diagnosis. The nurse may do a health evaluation, make a judgment regarding whether or not treatment is required, and issue a recommendation. |
| The primary medical authority is the physician. The nurse describes the patient's condition to him, and the doctor takes choices concerning the patient's medical care. | The nurse has medical autonomy in this situation. In the home and at school, they symbolize medical authority. They have the ability to make judgments about medical care at the moment. Nurses have complete authority when it comes to planning and administering nursing care for patients. They have broad power to make choices and to create and initiate a variety of community health and group activities, and they share this planning with a variety of community organizations. |
| In order to manage the patient's treatment, hospital nurses might report their results to the physician. | A Community Health worker is completely responsible for a patient's care and has the authority to make independent decisions, such as referrals, based on the patient's health. |
| The physician can be contacted immediately by the hospital nurses. | A Community Health worker is capable of working alone. |
| Nurses in hospitals are worried about events that impact a large number of people. Bird flu, SARS flu, and Zika virus are just a few examples. | Their job focuses on health education, evaluations, and disease pattern studies, and they are the first responders in disease outbreaks, terrorist incidents, and refugee camps. |
| In hospital settings, hospital nurses provide health services. | Community Health workers provide health care in venues other than hospitals, such as health clinics, schools, homeless shelters, and elder centers. |
| Their surroundings are much more limited and regulated. | Their surroundings aren't much more regulated. They can come into the neighborhood at any moment and conduct a risk assessment. |
| When a hospital nurse's shift ends, they may pass over to another nurse and rest certain that their patients are in good hands. | A Community Health worker must decide if it is safe to leave their patient alone or to hand it over to a trustworthy person before leaving. |
| The hospital nurse is responsible for providing required care to patients who are hospitalized due to severe disease or catastrophic accidents. | The elderly and people with limited means benefit from the services of a Community Health Worker. |
| Hospital nurses frequently follow up with a few particular patients who have been admitted to the hospital. | Every day, a Community Health worker visits a number of patients and may travel from one residence to another. |
| A hospital nurse may only care for a certain patient once throughout their lifetime. | They have the chance to form long-term connections with community patients and may visit many times each week or month. |
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Understanding the Difference Between Public Health and Community Health
Because the ultimate aim of public health and community health are the same, some of their activities are identical.
Professionals from both professions may be engaged in the development of health education programs or initiatives, for example.
The most significant difference between the two areas, however, is in their separate focus:
- Community health focuses on the overall contributors to a population's physical and mental health; while
- Public health focuses on the scientific method of avoiding contagious illnesses.
Another significant distinction between public health and community health is the setting in which these professionals operate.
Most public health efforts in the United States are overseen by federal departments of health, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Many public health professionals work for municipal or state health agencies, hospitals, colleges, and universities in offices and labs.
Community health professionals, on the other hand, often work on a smaller scale, from state and county employees to local hospitals (though some community health professionals also work at the CDC).
FAQs about differences between a Hospital Nurse and Community Health Worker
Can a community health worker open a clinic?
Community health extension workers, including nurses and pharmacists, are not permitted to establish a private clinic.
Only a medical practitioner may own and run a private hospital or clinic, according to the legislation.
Community health extension workers are critical to our health care because they help to bridge the gap in health access.
What is the salary of a community health worker?
In Nigeria, the average monthly compensation for a Community Health Extension Worker is NGN 120,000, which is 36% more than the average Lagos State Government salary of NGN 87,827 for this position.
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Final Words on the differences between a Hospital Nurse and Community Health Worker
You must at this time recognize that every member of the health team, from the doctor to the cleaners, is equally very important.
Without the assistance of other professions, no single category of health professionals can deliver effective health care to the population.
It doesn't matter who is better than whom! It's about who with the training he received can provide better care to people.
Finally, avoid equating community health extension workers (CHEWS) with nurses, and nurses with physicians.
It's not about who's more qualified: a nurse, a chew, or a community health officer (CHO). They all have parts to play.
Each one is made for a particular cause in order to suit a community's health need or desire.
