​Kathleen Amos, MLIS, Project Manager, Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, Public Health Foundation

As announced last fall, the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) is revising the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) to ensure these competencies continue to reflect the skills needed for delivering public health services. This process is now well underway, and specific revisions are currently being drafted.

Feedback from the public health community highlighted changes in the work environment of public health professionals and opportunities for improving the Core Competencies, and has been instrumental in developing the revisions. Each of the individual competencies within the Core Competencies is being considered in light of the comments provided, and adjustments are being made to help better meet workforce needs.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in the draft revisions is in the wording of competencies. Feedback emphasized the need to simplify and clarify the language of the competencies to make them easier to understand and apply. Competencies are being rewritten with this in mind, and examples are being inserted to provide further information where appropriate. Competencies are also being reordered within the domains to help group similar concepts and create a more logical progression in the complexity of skills. These types of changes can be seen in the draft revisions to Tier 2 competencies in the Financial Planning and Management Skills Domain recently discussed with the Core Competencies Workgroup.

In addition, new concepts are being added and existing concepts expanded to address evolving workforce needs. A preview of how such items are being addressed can be found in the draft revision of the Financial Planning and Management Skills Domain. For example, a new competency on public health and healthcare financing has been added, and the phrase “population health services” has been used when referring to services provided at the community level to better encompass the contributions made by both governmental and non-governmental entities. Such modifications reflect comments submitted during the public feedback process regarding changes in how public health and healthcare are practiced.

While improvements are being made to the Core Competencies to ensure their continued relevance and use, many things will remain the same. The Core Competencies will keep the current eight domain structure, as well as the three tiers. In addition, although competencies may be reordered within domains, no competencies will be moved from one domain to another. As in the past, concepts are being added or expanded through the use of examples, or “e.g.s,” where possible, in order to limit the number of new competencies developed. The focus of the Core Competencies will continue to be on providing a set of foundational skills broadly applicable across the public health workforce, and discipline-specific skills will not be emphasized.

The revision of the Core Competencies will continue throughout the spring, with the new competency set released in June. Though significant progress and decisions have been made, it’s not too late to influence the revisions. Do you agree with the direction described? Do the draft revisions to the Financial Planning and Management Skills Domain simplify and clarify the competencies, as well as reflect changes to public health practice? Ensure your thoughts reach the Council on Linkages by leaving a note in the Comments section below or sending an email to kamos@phf.org.

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