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Preamble
In the six years since the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) were adopted by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (the Council), the field of public health has seen major changes -- from the events of September 11, 2001 to new technologies, and an aging workforce.  Thus, beginning in September 2007, the Council undertook a project to refine and update the Core Competencies, based on recommendations from Council members, as well as the broader public health community. 

The Council agreed that maintaining the original eight domain framework would help organizations that currently use the Core Competencies to adopt the new version.  The Council also adopted a set of “rules” for competency development.  They are: (1) only one verb is allowed per statement; (2) no internal modifiers (“adequate,” etc.), and; (3) each competency statement may be placed in only one domain.

The Council formed a Workgroup comprised of competencies experts and other interested parties to guide the updating and refinement process.  Throughout the process, a number of specific issues were debated by the Workgroup.  Many of these issues were relatively easily resolved with a consensus forming around one viewpoint.  However, a few issues have remained unresolved.  In addition to general and specific comments on the content and phrasing used in this new draft of the Core Competencies, the Council would like to hear input on the following specific issues:

1. Has the field of informatics been adequately covered and has it been placed in the correct domains?  Although adding an additional domain specifically devoted to informatics was discussed, the benefits of maintaining the eight domain framework outweighed the benefits of an informatics domain.  Informatics-related competencies are currently found in a number of domains and there was much discussion over the “correct” placement.

2. Should the “core” sciences of public health (behavioral and social sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental public health, and health services administration) be mentioned by name in the Public Health Sciences Domain?  Some members felt that mentioning these specific sciences would seem to exclude other public health-related sciences.  Other members felt that not mentioning the public health sciences by name may lead the public to think of more “standard” sciences such as mathematics and engineering.

In refining and updating the Core Competencies, the Council focused on the “mid-tier” of public health workers – that is those workers with an MPH (or related degree) and 5 years of work experience or individuals not having a public health degree but having at least 10 years of public health or public health-related work experience.  By changing verbs in each statement, developing a set for the lower and upper-tiers will be relatively straightforward.

Draft Core Competencies
Analytic/Assessment Skills

1. Describes the characteristics of a population-based public health problem
2. Triangulates quantitative and qualitative data
3. Selects variables that measure public health conditions
4. Develops the methods and instruments for collecting quantitative and qualitative data
5. References sources of public health data and information
6. Evaluates the integrity and comparability of data
7. Identifies gaps in data sources
8. Applies ethical principles to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of data and information
9. Makes community-specific inferences from quantitative and qualitative data
10. Interprets information with regard to risks and benefits to the community
11. Applies data collection processes, information technology applications, and computer systems storage/retrieval strategies
12. Utilizes data to address scientific, political, ethical, and social public health issues.

Policy Development/Program Planning Skills

1. Analyzes information relevant to specific public health policy issues
2. Writes policy statements
3. Determines the feasibility and expected outcomes of policy options
4. Articulates the health, fiscal, administrative, legal, ethical, social, and political implications of policy options
5. Utilizes decision analysis in the process of health planning
6. Manages public health programs consistent with its public health laws and regulations
7. Develops a plan to implement policy.
8. Implements policy into organizational plans, structures, and programs
9. Develops mechanisms to monitor and evaluate programs for their effectiveness and quality
10. Incorporates public health informatics practices

Communication Skills

1. Communicates in writing and orally in person and through electronic means.
2. Communicates with linguistic and cultural proficiency
3. Solicits input from individuals and organizations
4. Utilizes a multimedia approach to disseminate public health information
5. Presents demographic, statistical, programmatic, and scientific information for professional and lay audiences
6. Applies communication strategies, including principled negotiation, conflict resolution, and active listening in the interactions with individuals and groups
7. Implements the public health agency’s communication policies and procedures

Cultural Competency Skills

1. Incorporates strategies for interacting with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds.
2. Considers the role of cultural, social, and behavioral factors in determining the delivery of public health services
3. Responds to problems that are the result of cultural differences
4. Explains the dynamic forces that contribute to cultural diversity
5. Describes the need for a diverse public health workforce
6. Assesses the public health agency for its cultural competence

Community Dimensions of Practice Skills

1. Assesses the community from an ecological perspective
2. Collaborates in community based participatory research efforts
3. Establishes linkages with key stakeholders
4. Facilitates collaboration with internal and external groups to ensure participation of key stakeholders
5. Uses group processes to advance community involvement
6. Maintains partnerships over time
7. Describes the role of government, the private sector and non profit sectors in the delivery of community health services
8. Negotiates for the use of community assets and resources
9. Advocates for public health policies, programs, and resources

Public Health Sciences Skills

1. Describes the scientific underpinnings of the field of public health
2. Identifies the prominent events in the history of the public health profession
3. Relates the public health science skills to the core public health functions and the ten essential services
4. Applies the basic public health sciences to the prevention of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, injuries, and other population-based health threats
5. Conducts a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence related to a public health issue, concern, or, intervention
6. Assesses the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness, including the factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention, and the use of health services
7. Retrieves scientific evidence from a variety of text and electronic sources
8. Determines the limitations of research findings
9. Describes the importance of research observations and interrelationships among these findings
10. Implements the requirements of HIPAA, IRB, patient confidentiality, and human subject processes
11. Contributes to the building the scientific base of public health

Financial Planning and Management Skills

1. Manages public health programs within the historical development, structure, and relationship of state and federal public health and health care systems
2. Manages public health programs within the structure, function, and jurisdictional authority of the organizational units within federal, state, and local public health agencies
3. Develops partnerships with other agencies within the federal, state, and local levels of government that may have associational authority with public health under certain situations or with specific issues, such as an emergency event.
4. Implements the judiciary and operational procedures of the administrative body(s) that oversees the operations of the public health agency
5. Develops a programmatic budget
6. Manages programs within current and forecasted budget constraints
7. Develops strategies for determining budget priorities
8. Evaluates program performance
9. Prepares the narrative and fiscal components of proposals for funding from external sources
10. Applies basic human relations skills to the management of organizations, motivation of personnel, and resolution of conflicts
11. Applies public health informatics skills to streamline program operations program operations and business operations
12. Negotiates contracts and other documents for the provision of services
13. Utilizes cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-utility analyses in the programmatic prioritization and decision making.

Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills

1. Incorporates ethical standards of practice as the bases of interactions with organizations and communities
2. Incorporates systems thinking into public health practice
3. Participates with stakeholders in identifying key values and a shared vision as guiding principles for community action
4. Rectifies internal and external problems that may affect the delivery of essential public health services
5. Sponsors team and organizational learning opportunities
6. Contributes to the measuring, reporting and improvement of organizational performance
7. Modifies public health practice in concordance with changes in the larger social/political environment
8. Establishes mentoring, peer advising, coaching or other personal development opportunities for newer public health workers

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