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Competency Information and Resources Public Health Background Eight Core Domains Essential Services Core Competency list Curriculum Toolkit Competency Handbook Competency Programs Exploring Accreditation Related links Public Health Professions & Occupations CDC matrix Emergency Preparedness Competencies Tools Related links

Competency Information and Resources
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Understanding Competency
What is competency? How do competencies link to performance? How are competencies used to guide education? Competency is a term used to describe a set of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that are applied in the practice setting. Used as performance benchmarks, the measurable behaviors of knowledge, skills and abilities or competency sets can be shown to predict and measure effective performance. The use of competency-based performance measures provide useful indicators to monitor and evaluate performance quality and provide a mechanism from which to create activities related to performance improvement.

A number of terms are used to describe the learning process - skills, traits, attitudes, abilities, characteristics, knowledge, competencies and domains. These terms make up the hierarchy of concepts developed and applied within the competency model framework. Competency represents a dynamic interaction between the individual (characteristics/traits), learning (KSAs) and the integration of that learning experience (competence) into the performance setting, as depicted by the competency model, with opportunity for assessment available at any given level within the hierarchy.

Competency - View Hierarchy Model

• Characteristics and Traits are the foundation for learning that are part of the innate make-up of an individual from which further experiences can be constructed.
• Skills, Abilities and Knowledge develop through learning experiences.
• Competencies within different contexts require different skills and knowledge
• Domains are categories used to group knowledge, skills and abilities into types of learning.
• Performance standards allow assessment of competence in the practice setting using measures guided by the application of established competencies.
  

Defining Competency
Competency
“A simultaneous integration of the knowledge, skills, attitudes required for performance in a designated role and setting.”
– Dorothy del Bueno, 1978

Core Competency
Core competency refers to an essential and required knowledge, skill, attitude required for performance within a given practice.

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Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals
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Public Health
Public health is a system of public, private and voluntary agencies that are focused on the health of the population as a whole. Public health as a science and practice works toward protecting and improving the health of a community through: preventive medicine, injury prevention, health education, healthy behaviors promotion, control of communicable diseases, application of sanitary measures, monitoring of environmental hazards, assurance of accessibility to quality health services, and disaster response and recovery.

Background of the Core Competencies
Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals represent a consensus set of nationally recognized competencies that are linked to the Essential Public Health Services which guide responsibilities for local public health. The U.S. Public Health Service with assistance from the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice brought together both public health practice and the academic communities to develop a set of working competencies for public health professionals. The resulting comprehensive set of competencies represent ten years of work on the subject by the Council on Linkages

Purpose of the Core Competencies
The core competencies provide a framework to establish performance standards and serve as a resource and guide to education and training for the public health workforce. Public health agencies, professional organizations, academic institutions and continuing education programs will find that competencies are a key resource in:

• assessing training needs
• developing training programs
• evaluating curricula
• improving personnel performance

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The Essential Public Health Services
(as identifed by CDC National Public Health Performance Standards Program)

The essential services describe fundamental activities of public health and provide a working definition for public health within local systems of public health.

1. Monitor health status to identify community health problems
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community
3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues
4. Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable
8. Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems

Core Public Health Competencies
(as identified by the Council on Linkages)

Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals

Analytic/Assessment Skills

Defines a problem Determines appropriate uses and limitations of both quantitative and qualitative data Selects and defines variables relevant to defined public health problems Identifies relevant and appropriate data and information sources Evaluates the integrity and comparability of data and identifies gaps in data sources Applies ethical principles to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of data and information Partners with communities to attach meaning to collected quantitative and qualitative data Makes relevant inferences from quantitative and qualitative data Obtains and interprets information regarding risks and benefits to the community Applies data collection processes, information technology applications, and computer systems storage/retrieval strategies Recognizes how the data illuminates ethical, political, scientific, economic, and overall public health issues

Policy Development/Program Planning Skills

Collects, summarizes, and interprets information relevant to an issue States policy options and writes clear and concise policy statements Identifies, interprets, and implements public health laws, regulations, and policies related to specific programs Articulates the health, fiscal, administrative, legal, social, and political implications of each policy States the feasibility and expected outcomes of each policy option Utilizes current techniques in decision analysis and health planning Decides on the appropriate course of action Develops a plan to implement policy, including goals, outcome and process objectives, and implementation steps Translates policy into organizational plans, structures, and programs Prepares and implements emergency response plans Develops mechanisms to monitor and evaluate programs for their effectiveness and quality

Communication Skills

Communicates effectively both in writing and orally, or in other ways Solicits input from individuals and organizations Advocates for public health programs and resources Leads and participates in groups to address specific issues Uses the media, advanced technologies, and community networks to communicate information Effectively presents accurate demographic, statistical, programmatic, and scientific information for professional and lay audiences Listens to others in an unbiased manner, respects points of view of others, and promotes the expression of diverse opinions and perspectives

Cultural Competency Skills

Utilizes appropriate methods for interacting sensitively, effectively, and professionally with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages and lifestyle preferences Identifies the role of cultural, social, and behavioral factors in determining the delivery of public health services Develops and adapts approaches to problems that take into account cultural differences Understands the dynamic forces contributing to cultural diversity Understands the importance of a diverse public health workforce

Community Dimensions of Practice Skills

Establishes and maintains linkages with key stakeholders Utilizes leadership, team building, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills to build community partnerships Collaborates with community partners to promote the health of the population Identifies how public and private organizations operate within a community Accomplishes effective community engagements Identifies community assets and available resources Develops, implements, and evaluates a community public health assessment Describes the role of government in the delivery of community health services

Basic Public Health Sciences Skills

Identifies the individual's and organization's responsibilities within the context of the Essential Public Health Services and core functions Defines, assesses, and understands the health status of populations, determinants of health and illness, factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention, and factors influencing the use of health services Understands the historical development, structure, and interaction of public health and health care systems Identifies and applies basic research methods used in public health Applies the basic public health sciences including behavioral and social sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental public health, and prevention of chronic and infectious diseases and injuries Identifies and retrieves current relevant scientific evidence Identifies the limitations of research and the importance of observations and interrelationships Develops a lifelong commitment to rigorous critical thinking

Financial Planning and Management Skill

Develops and presents a budget Manages programs within budget constraint Applies budget processes Develops strategies for determining budget priorities Monitors program performance Prepares proposals for funding from external sources Applies basic human relations skills to the management of organizations, motivation of personnel, and resolution of conflicts Manages information systems for collection, retrieval, and use of data for decision-making Negotiates and develops contracts and other documents for the provision of population-based services Conducts cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-utility analyses

Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills

Creates a culture of ethical standards within organizations and communities Helps create key values and shared vision and uses these principles to guide action Identifies internal and external issues that may impact delivery of essential public health services (i.e., strategic planning) Facilitates collaboration with internal and external groups to ensure participation of key stakeholders Promotes team and organizational learning Contributes to development, implementation, and monitoring of organizational performance standards Uses the legal and political system to effect chang Applies theory of organizational structures to professional practice

Council on Linkages -
Public Health Practice Competency Listings:

Other Public Health - Competency programs & initiatives

Applied Epidemiology Competencies
Core Legal Competencies for Public Health Professionals
Environmental Health Competency Project
Management Competencies for Public Health Managers
Master's Degree in Public Health Core Competencies (ASPH)
National Health Educators Competency Project
Public Health Nursing Competencies (Quad Council)
Public Health Prevention Service - Specialists

Exploring Accreditation Project

About the Project
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionare, are coordinating a new examination of the implications and feasibility of a national public health accreditation system.  The project, Exploring Accreditation, is an outgrowth of a 2002 Institute of Medicine report that called on the public health community to consider how accreditation ultimately could prompt improvements in the nation's health. The project is scheduled to be completed in August 2006.
www.exploringaccreditation.org

Publications
Can Accreditation Work in Public Health? Lessons From Other Service Industries - View
Exploring Public Health Experience with Standards and Accreditation - View

Tools

• Competency-to-Curriculum Toolkit for Public Health | View as html | View as Pdf |
  A resource to retrieve the right “tool” to help carry out the necessary steps to move from competencies into curriculum development. The toolkit is intended for use by any public health worker interested in the education and training of the workforce and is particularly useful to those who do not have curriculum development specialists readily available.
  
  
• The Public Health Competency Handbook - View html
  A tool to translate training into organizational action. A hands on guide that outlines critical competencies for improvement in the delivery of essential public health services.

Related Links
Council on Linkages
National Public Health Performance Standards Program
Ten Essential Public Health Services

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Competencies for Public Health Professions
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Competencies for Public Health Workers:
A Collection of Competency Sets of Public Health-Related Occupations and Professions
A table of competency sets produced by the Office of Workforce Policy and Planning (OWPP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC Competency Matrix - View matrix

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Bioterrorism & Emergency Readiness Competencies
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Additonal Competency Lists

Competency Tools

• Competency Mapping Guide - View Pdf
  Developed by staff at the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness (UMNCPHP). The intent of the Guide is to assist individuals determine which, if any, Bioterrorism/Emergency Readiness Competencies are addressed and identify the level of competency targeted in a specific existing training.

Related Links for Emergency Preparedness & Response Information

Wisconsin Public Health Preparedness & Response for Bioterrorism Program

Wisconsin Health Alert Network
A secured (user and password protected) communications system for Wisconsin's Public Health departments, hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms, laboratories, law enforcement, fire service, EMS, volunteer and other health agencies.

Centers for Public Health Preparedness
A national network of Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) developed by CDC to train the public health workforce to respond to threats to our nation's health, such as bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. The centers work together to improve the capacity of the front line public health and health care workers through education and training.

Centers for Public Health Preparedness - Resource Center
The resource center is a free online repository of terrorism and emergency response training and educational resources developed by the CDC-funded Centers for Public Health Preparedness for public health professionals and other community partners. Resources address a wide-array of public health and emergency response topic areas offered in various formats including CD-ROM, webcast, exercise/drill/tabletop manuals, comprehensive course outlines and more.

Emergency Preparedness & Response - CDC Homepage
Agents, Diseases, & Other Threats - information.

Reporting on Terrorism: The News Media and Public Health - View Pdf

Terrorism, Preparedness and Public Health: An Introduction
A Web-based tutorial addressing the public health role in emergency response for a range of potential emergencies. Provided at no cost and open to the public.
Credit available: 6 hours CME/CHES and 7.2 hours CNE

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Last Updated May 4, 2006

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