The purpose of this study was to determine if the interest of nurses in a specialty such as public health nursing could be identified through their interest pa tern on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. The subjects were 226 public health nurses who volunteered, qualified according to the criteria, and completed the Strong Vocational Interest Blank and a questionnaire. The tests were scored on 31 occupational scales. The study presents evidence of systematic and significant differences between institutional nurses. An interest pattern for graduates of baccalaureate programs of nursing who had chosen to combine the study of nursing with a liberal arts education was also identified. Tables are appended. (Author/IM)