Baccalaureate nursing education has been determined to be the appropriate education for community health nursing practice as opposed to diploma education and associate degree education. Community health agencies currently employ nursing program graduates from these three educational levels. This study was conducted to describe the competency and agency utilization of entry-level public health/community health (PH/CH) nurses. The study was conducted to: determine if differences in PH/CH nurse competency exists, based on different types of basic education; identify the agency strategies used to assist the new nurse obtain minimum competency; obtain supervisors' perceptions on the best and least prepared nursing skills; and the client best served by the nurse at time of employment.

A competency scale was established based on standards and competency statements of the American Nurses Association, the Public Health Nursing Section of American Public Health Association, and the State and Territorial Directors, and was presented in the format of a nursing process. The scale contained fifty-six items designed to measure nurse competency in nursing process skill directed toward the individual, the family and the community as clients.

A Scale and Data Form were completed by a random sample of supervisors employed in communty health agencies in Federal Region III. All levels of nursing graduates were rated on the scale. The data were examined and analyzed by basic education of the nurse and tested using the Chi-square test. No statistically significant differences were found at the .05 level. However, relevant information pertaining to the strategies used to assist the nurse obtain minimum competency were discussed, competency levels identified and entry-level nurse utilization, were reported. Supervisor perceptions on competency of most entry-level PH/CH nurses at time of employment were also reported. Recommendations were made for further study.