The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) thanks the public health community for participating in its review of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) and providing feedback that will help shape the future of the public health workforce. More than 350 people, including practitioners, educators, and researchers in governmental public health, academia, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, engaged in the feedback process and provided over 1,000 comments on the Core Competencies. Feedback received is guiding revision of the Core Competencies to ensure these competencies continue to meet workforce needs.
Feedback on the Core Competencies was collected throughout 2013, from the Council on Linkages’ decision in March to begin reviewing the Core Competencies until the end of December, and includes a variety of suggestions, such as:
Additional comments focus on resources the Council on Linkages can provide to help organizations use the Core Competencies, including:
- More examples of what is meant by each competency
- Guidance on how competencies apply to various positions within public health organizations
- Additional sample job descriptions that incorporate the Core Competencies
- New examples that show use or attainment of the Core Competencies
The number and thoughtfulness of the comments received, as well as the level of interest in the review and revision process, has reinforced for the Council on Linkages the importance and use of the Core Competencies by the public health community.
In the coming months, the Council on Linkages will work to revise the Core Competencies. The Council on Linkages has committed to adopting and making available the revised Core Competencies by June 30, 2014.
To stay informed during the Core Competencies revision process, subscribe to the Council on Linkages Update or follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #phcompetencies. For more information, contact please Cheryl DeAguiar at [email protected].