Public health competencies and learner objectives:

Lessons unfolding in the upper Midwest

2004 APHA Annual MeetingWashington, D.C., November 8, 2004

Poster Session #3189 Abstract Paper #82149

AuthorsInstitute for Public Health Practice

The University of Iowa College of Public HealthE220B GH

Iowa City, IA 52242http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/iphp/

• Dawn Gentsch, MPH, CHES, Program Associate, Competency Development of the Institute for Public Health Practice

• Christopher Atchison, MPA, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Director of the Institute for Public Health Practice

• Tanya Uden-Holman, MA, PhD, Associate Dean for Education and Student Affairs and Assistant Director of the Institute for Public Health Practice

• Barry Greene, MA, PhD, Professor Department of Health Management and Policy

Presentation Objectives

1. Identify public health competency sets.

2. Summarize the process elements for identifying competencies and linking them to learning objectives.

3. Explain how public health competencies are being used for public health workforce development in the upper Midwest.

4. Discuss how individuals are demonstrating competency.

Competency Basics

Competencies:• Can be acquired through experience, performance support

systems, and on-the-job training and not just formal training

• Should be included in public health workforce development efforts

• Individual competencies intersect with organizational performance standards and capacities

• Competency sets may apply broadly to public health workers or be specific to a small subset

• Express a standard level of worker performance• Need to be routinely updated

Source: Competencies to Curriculum Tool-Kit: Developing Curricula for the Public Health Workforce

• Core – basic public health– Council on Linkages

• Topical– Bioterrorism, law, genomics, informatics

• Functional– Technical, support staff, professional or leader

• Discipline specific– Environmental health, laboratory, nutrition, health

education

Competency Sets

Process for PH Competency Integration

1. Review course content/training events of UMCPHP and UMPHTC

2. Identify any relevant Council on Linkages competencies for public health workers

3. Identify any relevant competency sets (core, topical or, functional areas, and discipline specific) that correlate to course objectives/content

4. Validate linked competencies and learner objectives5. Course Implementation6. Demonstrate Competence by Learner7. Utilize Evaluation methods & Performance

Outcomes

Essential Public Health Services

Process for Public Health Competency Integration

Council on Linkages Competencies

Competency Sets (discipline, functional or

topic specific)

ReviewCourse Content

ReviewLearner

Objectives

Assessment Data Validate Linked

Competencies and Objectives

EvaluationMethods Demonstrate

Competence

CourseImplementation

PerformanceOutcomes

Use of Competencies in upper Midwest

A. Identify competencies that match/link to courses, training events and learning objects that have been produced by UMCPHP and UMPHTC.

B. Identify competencies that match/link to “units of skill” as identified by employees of an Iowa local public health department.

C. Identify courses/learning objects that other A-CPHP, PHTC, national/federal or state sources have developed.

D. Additional competency sets and related target audiences/users are being added to the PrepareIowa LMS.

A.

Training Series Overview• Background

– UMPHTC (training center of HRSA)

– Assessment results & Regional Steering Committee

– Training product of UMPHTC

• Purpose– Essential Public Health Services (TES) and Core Public Health

Functions

• Structure of Training Series– One practitioner from each state (IA, NE, & SD)

– Academic Integrator

– Length and format

– Multiple delivery modalities

• http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/UMPHTC

Session 5 Topic and Objectives

Mobilize Community Partnerships to Identify and Solve Health Problems

Goal: Provide examples of effective strategies that communities and public health agencies use to work together to solve public health problems.

Session Objectives• Describe the role of coalitions, collaboration and community

partnerships in solving health problems.• Describe the types of advocacy and technical assistance

available to communities.• Identify one method to enhance and engage community

partnerships.

Session 5 Competencies

Mobilize Community Partnerships to Identify and Solve Health Problems

• Advocates for public health programs and resources

• Establishes and maintains linkages with key stakeholders

• Collaborates with community partners to promote the health of the population

• Identifies how public and private organizations operate within a community

• Identifies community assets and available resources

• Partners with communities to attach meaning to collected quantitative and qualitative data

Environmental Health Competencies

• Source: APHA and the National Center for Environmental Health at CDC

• 3 primary functions of an EH Program: – Assessment, Management and Communication

• 14 core competencies• 58 sub-competencies• Pilot self assessment of competency statements with

EH practitioners (August 2004)• Full release of assessment state-wide (Fall 2004)• Learning object and Course linkages

Environmental Health Competencies

1. Information Gathering2. Data Analysis and Interpretation 3. Evaluation 4. Problem Solving5. Economic and Political Issues 6. Organizational Knowledge and Behavior 7. Project Management 8. Computer and Information Technology9. Reporting, Documentation and Record-Keeping 10.Collaboration11. Education12. Communication 13. Conflict Resolution 14. Marketing

Why EH Competencies?

• By attempting to identify the core competencies necessary for effective environmental health at the local level and beginning to develop consensus on their acceptance, we can strengthen the environmental health infrastructure and build the capacity of local programs.

• The ability to demonstrate competence in these 58 sub-competencies, combined with the technical skills/knowledge needed in environmental health means we are providing quality EH programs and services.

• This is the professionalization of the EH profession.

• Technical competencies are equally important:• e.g.;NEHA REHS exam

Environmental Health Competencies

B. Linking Units of Skill to Competencies

• Scott County Health Department• 76 units of skill: focus groups, job descriptions, TES• Competency sets in Prepare Iowa LMS

– Core Public Health (UIC) (selected 32/61)– Bioterrorism/Emergency Readiness (Columbia University)

(selected 3/106)

• Competency sets external to LMS– Identified competency statements from other sets

• Created new when none could be identified• Staff reviewed the matrix of units of skills linked to

competencies– Started with 63 and divided skills to end up with 76

External Competency Sets

• Council on Linkages (selected 53/68)• Certified Health Education Specialist (selected

41/112)• Environmental Health (selected 24/58)• Leadership (4/98)• Maternal and Child Health (2/66)• Emory University (1)• New competencies developed (53)

Example: Unit of Skill: Understand public health laws, required

records, and forms. New Competency: Interpret federal, state, county, city or

other local laws, regulations and ordinances.

C. Field Integration Model

• Our Task- Integrate academic concepts with field experiences.

- Challenge is data reduction.

- Changing data to usable knowledge.

- Building blocks are Learning Objects.

Education Module Review Criteria

• Source is a reputable agency/organization

• Reputable and credible authors

• Accessible and available

• Format (ideally available in multiple ways)

• Purpose and learning objectives stated

• Competency identification (impact) – listed or able to link

• Intended/Target Audience– Skill Level

• Completion time

• Hierarchy of learning

• Accuracy of information

• Learner completion

• Public health agency role/audience

• Collaboration (local – systems approach)

• Responsive or innovative

• Sustainability

• Evaluation

D. Learning Management System

• www.PrepareIowa.com

• Partnership of UI CPH IPHP and Iowa Dept. of Public Health

• Competency sets: Council on Linkages, UIC Core Competencies for Public Health workers, Bioterrorism/Emergency Response, Environmental Health

• Adding sets for: – laboratory (sentinel and state UHL lab staff),

– hospital personnel,

– Community Health Centers,

– mental health for non-mental health professionals, and

– emergency medical system personnel.

LMS Welcome Page (after login)

Demonstration of Competence

• Individual self-assessment via competency statements in PrepareIowa LMS– History of assessment results

– Performance reviews on the job

• Education modules include application activities, pre/post tests, and evaluations– Utilizing WebCT as the platform for modules

• Training plan development– Tracking feature of Prepare Iowa LMS

– Transcript (linked courses and external)

Continuing Lessons

• How do assessment results impact job descriptions and hiring practices?

• Do levels of skill allow attainment or declarative statement of “competency mastery”?

• Will self-assessment results and competencies linked to education modules aide public health workforce credentialing efforts?

• How do competencies fit within the National Public Health Performance Standards?

• If competencies are tied to job performance – how do you evaluate this?

Bibliography - 1• Bioterrorism & Emergency Readiness Competencies.

Columbia University School of Nursing. April 2001. http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nursing/ institute-centers/chphsr/btcomps.html

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/owpp/cphplocations.asp• Competency-to-Curriculum Toolkit: Developing Curricula For

Public Health Workers. Center for Health Policy Columbia University School of Nursing and Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine. August 2004. http://www.columbia.edu/%7Eeng9/

• Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice- Competencies Project. http://www.trainingfinder.org/competencies/list.htm

Bibliography - 2• Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. Public

Health’s Infrastructure: A Status Report. March 2001. http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/index.asp.

• Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century. Institutes of Medicine. 2002.

• Environmental Health Competency Guidelines Project. www.apha.org/ppp/ehproject.htm

• Institute for Public Health Practice, University of Iowa College of Public Healthhttp://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/cphp/index.html

• Maternal and Child Health Competencies. Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health. 2000. http://www.uic.edu/sph/mch/competencies.htm

Bibliography - 3

• National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Certified Health Education Specialist Competencies. 1996. http://health.csusb.edu/Forms/CHESform.pdf

• Public Health Leadership Competency Framework. The National Public Health Leadership Network. April 2000. http://www.slu.edu/organizations/nln/competency_framework.html

• Upper Midwest Center for Public Health Preparedness

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/icphp/index.html

• Upper Midwest Public Health Training Center (UMPHTC)

http://www.public-health.iowa.edu/umphtc/index.html

Contact Information

Dawn Gentsch, MPH, CHESProgram Associate, Competency Development

Institute for Public Health PracticeThe University of Iowa College of Public Health

200 10th Street, 5th Floor Clemens BuildingDes Moines, Iowa 50309

Tel. 515/282-4548Fax. 515/243-5941

E-mail. dawn-gentsch@uiowa.edu