Competency Sets
As many groups within the public health community have begun to develop competency sets, and as others find themselves having to understand competencies or develop competency-based curricula, there seems to be a need to bring some of these resources together for easier access.
Key public health competency sets and related resources
COL Core Competencies Developed by: The Council on Linkages between Academia and Public Health Practice.
The Public Health Competency Handbook Developed by: Jane C. Nelson, Ph.D., M.P.H., Joyce D.K. Essien, M.D., M.B.A., Richard Loudermilk, Daniel Cohen (focuses on organizational competencies)
Preparedness competency sets for public health & emergency response partners
BT and Emergency Readiness Competencies Developed by: CDC funded project led by Kristine Gebbie, Columbia University
Emergency Preparedness and Response Competencies for Hospital Workers Developed by: Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing in collaboration with the Greater New York Hospital Association, supported by the Commonwealth Fund
Emergency Response Clinician Competencies in Initial Assessment and Management Developed by: Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine in Collaboration with Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing
Competency sets for specific public health worker sub-groups or activities
Informatics Competencies for Public Health Professionals Developed by: Public Health Professionals Working Group led by Patrick O'Carroll
Environmental Health Competencies Developed by: NCEH, CDC, APHA sponsored expert panel
Core Legal Competencies for Public Health Professionals Developed by: Center for Law and the Public's Health at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities
Public Health Epidemiology Competency Set Developed by: Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
Related resources
Competency-to-Curriculum Tool Kit: developing curricula for public health workers Developed by: Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing & Association of Teachers of Preventative Medicine.
Emergency Preparedness Core Competencies for All Public Health Workers: An Online Course Free 1-2 hour online course (registration is required) Developed by: Columbia University Center for Public Health Preparedness
Definitions
Core Competency: The individual skills desirable for the delivery of Essential Public Health Services. Intended levels of mastery, and therefore learning objectives for workers within each competency, will differ depending upon their backgrounds and job duties. from Council on Linkages between Academic and Public Health Practice
Competency: A complex combination of knowledge, skills and abilities demonstrated by organization members that are critical to the effective and efficient function of the organization. from Center for Public Health Practice, at Emory U. & Center for Health Policy at Columbia U. (original source cited as Nelson, Essien, Latoff & Wiesner, 1997)
Public Health Informatics Competency: A public health worker's observable or measurable performance, skill, or knowledge related to the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health. from Informatics Competencies for Public Health Professionals, NWCPHP
Organizational competence is the collective demonstration of knowledge, skills, and abilities which optimize individual contribution of professional, technical, and specialized expertise. It requires communication, coordination, and collaboration within and between all level of the public health organization. from The Public Health Competency Handbook, NACCHO
