Creating a Brand Image for
Public Health Nursing
ABSTRACT Public health nurses (PHNs) have declined as a proportion of both the nursing and the
public health workforces in the past 2 decades. This decline comes as 30 states report public health
nursing as the sector most affected in the overall public health shortage. Taken together, these data point
to a need for renewed recruitment efforts. However, the current public images of nurses are primarily those
of professionals employed in hospital settings. Therefore, this paper describes the development of a marketable
image aimed at increasing the visibility and public awareness of PHNs and their work. Such a
brand image was seen as a precursor to increasing applications for PHN positions. A multimethod qualitative
sequential approach guided the branding endeavor. From the thoughts of public health nursing
students, faculty, and practitioners came artists’ renditions of four award-winning posters. These posters
portray public health nursing—incorporating its image, location of practice, and levels of protection afforded
the community. Since their initial unveiling, these posters have been distributed by request throughout
the United States and Canada. The overwhelming response serves to underline the previous void of current
professional images of public health nursing and the need for brand images to aid with recruitment