Three models of health have been developed to suggest various approaches to health; the social model, the health promotion model, and the medical model. The medical model suggests that all diseases are identified through a process in the facility by observation, description and differentiation (Duffy, 2016). All the procedures must also be guided by literature and practice, thus must be evidence based. On the contrary, the social model of health suggests that illness originates from society that the individual lives in, thus understanding the patient’s environment, family and relations help to point out a patient’s illness. The health promotion model however considers health more than just absence of diseases, but a multidimensional interaction with nature ( Jones, 2014) . Although all of the three models are applicable in a healthcare setting, I consider the medical model most applicable due to its approach. The medical model emphasizes on focusing on what the healthcare practitioner. It is a good idea that healthcare is wholesome and seeks to understand the patient beyond the facility walls, but the idea is more said than done. Following up on each patient’s background, environment and society, as the social model suggest, or focusing on patients, whether sick or well, would prove strenuous to healthcare workers. The patient is however their responsibility when within the facility, and must receive the best healthcare.
Public health aims at preventing occurrence of diseases before it reaches the hospital level through education, advocacy, activism, assessment, and evaluation of social and health amenities (Scheirer & Dearing, 2011). Nurses play the most important role in public health education, as they interact directly and most with patients. Public health programs help practitioners reduce cases if illness by sensitizing people on proper nutrition, prevention of injuries and general health lifestyles. Examples of health programs therefore include weight loss programs and vaccination campaigns. The two programs are entirely different by the groups they target and their strategy of application. While vaccination campaign target children to prevent them from falling ill later in life, weight loss programs aim at saving people from future weight-related illnesses (Scheirer & Dearing, 2011). Weight loss programs are mostly population specific, since some populations are more likely to be affected by unhealthy weight than others. For instance, the program is more beneficial when rolled out in a high-end estate as compared to a striving village population. However, vaccination campaigns are more relevant in the village where more people do not know their importance, although those in towns also need to hear about it. The villages form a better audience since they have more illiterate people. Nevertheless, both programs are equally important in public health, as they avert future health complications.
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Nursing students must study healthcare models and integrate them into public health. Understanding the models helps students relate what is learnt in class and test its applicability in the real world. The models are also tested at the community level, which determines to what extent they serve the community. Public health also provides a broad ground for students to test their understanding of various concepts in class. Students also get to interact with different cultures and personalities. Cultural competence is a core requirement of nurses, as they interact with varying cultures. Familiarizing with the norms, customs and taboos of a community prepares a nursing student to cope with challenges during nursing practice. Cultural competence also enables nurses to understand why some patients may refuse certain types of medication, depending on their cultural beliefs. Personally, my course has adequately prepared me to face the real world. I have keenly followed through the theory and diligently done the practical, thus believe I will offer the best of service as a nurse.
References
Duffy, J. R. (2016). Professional practice models in nursing: Successful health system integration . Springer Publishing Company.
Jones, A. M. (2014). Models for health care. University of York., Centre for Health Economics .
Scheirer, M. A., & Dearing, J. W. (2011). An agenda for research on the sustainability of public health programs. American journal of public health , 101 (11), 2059-2067.
