Notes from Public Health in the Rockies Conference
September 22-24, 2011
Cynthia Farkas, RN, FNP, MS
PHNAC Continuing Education Scholarship Recipient
I am very grateful to Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado (PHNAC) for awarding me a Continuing Education Scholarship to attend the Public Health in the Rockies Conference this year. When I received the call notifying me of my nomination for an award, I was very surprised and thrilled. The scholarship covered my registration costs and allowed me to attend. I was honored to have received the Colorado Public Health Association (CPHA ) Lifetime Achievement Award in person.
Attending this conference ignited my enthusiasm and passion for Public Health and renewed the many friendships with colleagues I have worked with through the years. As usual, the conference speakers and breakout sessions targeted very important Public Health topics of interest to me, i.e. Health Disparities, School Health, Communicable Diseases and Immunization, Access to Care, Advocacy, and more.
Although I retired in July 2010, I have remained active in Public Health Nursing as Part-time Faculty for Metropolitan State College Department of Nursing in the Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Completion Option (BRNCO) program. I conduct site visits to students in their Community Health Nursing clinical. Students are placed in Denver Public and Charter Schools and Kaiser Clinics. Students must complete a Community Assessment of their clinical site. As a resource person and mentor, my Public Health experience is valuable in this position. The CPHA conference provided me with excellent continuing education that I share with my students as relates to Public Health Core Functions. Encouraging critical thinking skills in relation to the Ten Essential Functions of Public Health enrich their clinical experience, as all of these students come from acute care and long term care facilities. I also share the PHNAC website with the students, encouraging them to explore careers in Public Health Nursing.
Attending the conference was a very rewarding experience in more ways than one. I benefited professionally and personally, and I sincerely thank PHNAC and CPHA for the opportunity to strengthen my commitment to Public Health Nursing.
Cynthia Farkas
10/24/11
