The Public Health Foundation held a webinar on June 22, 2017 focused on determining essential core competencies for job positions within public health organizations. Key to a public health organization’s ability to successfully meet the health needs of its community is having staff whose competencies are well matched to the types of activities they perform in their positions. Job descriptions that detail the competencies, including both skills and knowledge, required for being successful in a position are good practice for all organizations seeking to build a competent workforce through successful recruitment, hiring, and professional development efforts, and a required element for health departments seeking accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board.

 

The Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) developed by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice describe foundational skills desirable for professionals engaging in the practice, education, and research of public health. For any given job position, the critical competencies within the Core Competencies will vary depending on the types of responsibilities individuals in that position have and the activities in which they engage. Key to developing an effective job description, therefore, is determining which competencies are most essential for that position.

 

This webinar introduced a simplified form of the Core Competencies and a process for prioritizing competencies for job descriptions to help health departments and other public health organizations identify high-priority competencies for positions within their organizations. Through this process, organizations can engage individuals who are doing the day-to-day work within the organization in identifying the competencies that they feel are most important to being successful in their positions. In addition, Denver Public Health shared how they have used this process to identify essential Core Competencies for positions within their organization and built upon this work to strengthen important skills within their workforce.

 

 

Questions?
For more information, please contact Janelle Nichols at jnichols@phf.org.