Oral

The health promotion and education profession has a distinguished career in defining its standards for entry into practice. This landmark for this history was the profession-wide acceptance of the entry-level competencies, which formed the bases for the developed of the National Center for Health Education Credentialing, Inc (NCHEC) and the CHES certification. The Competency Update Project (CUP) re-examined the original competencies and established a structure for professional preparation and practice across the spectrum of academic education from undergraduate through the doctorate. These efforts formed the initial bases for quality assurance in the professional preparation and practice of health education. As with every profession, there is a responsibility to assure that the standards by which it measures the competence to practice are in alliance with needs of society. This session proposes to present in depth dialogues with those professional leaders who are involved in the current efforts to assure that the standards by which health promotion and education profession are in sync with the contemporary needs of the community. These efforts include: developing a cohesive accreditation project, new competency revision initiative, cross walking existing health education competencies with other sets (ASPH), implementing an advanced credential.

Session Objectives: 1)Describe the strategies for integrating community perspectives and professional development processes into health education competencies. 2) Engage in dialogue regarding the future practice and preparation of the health education profession.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing