The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) is seeking feedback from the public health community on the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies). The Core Competencies are a consensus set of skills desirable for the broad practice of public health, and the Council on Linkages wants to be sure these competencies accurately reflect the skills needed now and into the future. Feedback from public health professionals, governing bodies, volunteers, students, and others is critical to ensuring the Core Competencies continue to remain relevant and meet the needs of the public health workforce.
Feedback provided will help the Council on Linkages as it
reviews the Core Competencies to determine whether revisions are necessary to support organizations in using the Core Competencies and to keep pace with changes in the field. Public health practice and academic organizations use the Core Competencies in a variety of ways, including identifying workforce needs and building workforce development plans, writing job descriptions and conducting performance evaluations, and developing courses and curricula. Public health has changed rapidly since the Core Competencies were last revised in 2010, with implementation of the Affordable Care Act,
launch of national health department accreditation, and continued cuts in budgets and positions. These developments, and more, have the potential to impact the skills public health professionals need to successfully perform their jobs.
Information received from the public health community about suggested changes to the content and structure of the Core Competencies and how the Core Competencies can be made easier to use will influence the Council on Linkages’ decision about whether to revise the Core Competencies and, if so, how significant the changes will be. Feedback is being collected through the end of December 2013, after which the Council on Linkages will determine whether to revise the Core Competencies. The revision process is anticipated to be complete by June 2014.
Provide Feedback on the Core CompetenciesMany opportunities exist for providing feedback on the Core Competencies, as described on a new
webpage about the Core Competencies review process, which will be updated as the review process unfolds. Current opportunities include:
Get Involved with the Core Competencies Review Process
In addition to providing feedback, there are other opportunities to engage and keep current with the Core Competencies review process, including:
For more information about the Core Competencies review process and any of these opportunities, please contact Jonathan Munetz.