Public health nurses for Virginia's future: a collaborative project to increase the number of nursing students choosing a career in public health nursing.

A shift in the role of public health practice in the United States to population-focused care, together with demographic shifts increasing the diversity and age of the population, has created a need for a public health workforce more highly skilled in community and population-based practices. Despite this need, few changes have been made in the pattern of field placements for nursing students, in part because many public health nurses in population-focused roles are unfamiliar with models of successful student fieldwork in their areas. We describe the Public Health Nurses for Virginia's Future project, a successful project undertaken by nurse educators and public health leaders to increase the number of highly qualified graduates working in state and local health departments.