Recorded presentation

Julie A. Willems Van Dijk, MSN, Marathon County Health Department, 1200 Lake View Drive, Room 200, Wausau, WI 54403, 715-261-1900, jawvd@mail.co.marathon.wi.us

In April, 2001, the Council on Linkages between Academia and Public Health Practice published the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. This document described public health practice in eight domains: Analytic Assessment Skills, Policy Development/Program Planning Skills, Communication Skills, Cultural Competency Skills, Community Dimensions of Practice Skills, Basic Public Health Sciences, Financial Planning and Management Skills, and Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills.

Building on the foundation of this work, public health staff and managers from the Marathon County (Wisconsin) Health Department developed a performance planning and appraisal tool focused around the eight domains of the Core Competencies. This tool addresses evaluation of public health performance for all professionals, including public health nurses, environmental health sanitarians, health educators, epidemiologists, and public health managers. In addition to presenting the tool, this session will discuss the process of development and successful implementation of the tool, present data from the first year of implementation, including implications for staff development, and discuss strategies for application in other settings.

Learning Objectives: