What does a public health nurse do?
A public health nurse is a registered nurse who works on the health of a whole community, not individual bedside care: vaccination, disease surveillance, screenings, education and outreach, mostly for health departments and community organizations.
Education
Many employers want a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and some states have a public health nurse certificate or title with its own requirements: California issues one, for example. A Master of Public Health or an MSN with a community focus helps for leadership roles. See MSN and MPH combined.
Where they work
County and state health departments, schools, community clinics and nonprofits. Funding for these roles comes largely from government, which makes openings vary by place.
Pay
The BLS does not report public health nurses separately. Median RN pay was $97,550 in May 2025.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.