Session will report on the findings of a CDC funded project to identify individual competencies needed to prepare local public health workers to respond in emergencies, including bioterrorism. Drawing on generic public health organizational competency sets developed by the Public Health Functions Project, and competency-based state and local agency performance standards developed by the CDC, the research team formulated 42 competencies likely to be necessary for the individual public health worker to be prepared to respond. A Delphi survey instrument was devised using these competencies. The survey was administered in two rounds to a regionally representative panel of 59 emergency response experts, with broad and diverse professional experience. The expert panel was asked to rank the importance of the probable emergency response competencies for individuals at four levels of practice: the leader/administrator, the professional, the technician, and the clerical/support worker. This process yielded four sets of competencies, one for each level of PH worker. These competency sets were explored to assess their application to practice in a series of eight focus groups composed of public health workers from a variety of settings. Based on focus group feedback, a set of 9 core competencies for all workers, with 2-7 supplementary competencies specific to administrators, professionals and technical/support staff were formulated. Health departments of different sizes and capacities can customize the results to guide competency-based emergency preparedness/response staff development, or to develop competency-based job descriptions or performance appraisals.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session the participant will be able to: 1. Discuss a qualitative method for identifying competencies in specialized areas of public health practice. 2. Define "competency" in relation to emergency preparedness/response. 3. Describe the difference between an emergency response plan, an organizational emergency preparedness/response competency and an individual worker emergency preparedness/response competency. 4. Discuss a core set of emergency preparedness/response competencies for all public health workers
Keywords: Competency, Public Health Education
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Dr. Gebbie is Eliz. Standish Gill Assoc. Professor of Nursing & Director, Center for Health Policy,
Columbia Univ. School of Nursing. This project was funded by ATPM/CDC/ATSDR Cooperative Agreement TS 355-15/15.