At the basic or entry level, a public health nurse is one who "holds a baccalaureate degree in nursing that includes this educational preparation; this nurse may or may not practice in an official health agency but has the initial qualifications to do so" (Consensus Conference, 1985, p. 4). Specialists in public health nursing are defined as those who are prepared at the graduate level, with either a master's or a doctoral degree, "with a focus in the public health sciences" (Consensus Conference, 1985, p. 4) (Box 14).