Development and use of nutrition assessment competencies in WIC for individual professional development, online course development and organizational training plans

The performance of the local WIC workforce who conduct nutrition assessments with WIC families is dependent upon a system that supports well-trained staff and provides the necessary services and activities to keep the population healthy. The Nutrition Assessment for WIC competency model was developed in Iowa, through the collaborative effort of staff at the Iowa Department of Public Health Iowa WIC Program, local WIC agencies in Iowa and across the nation, and the University of Iowa College of Public Health Institute for Public Health Practice. This competency model is a tool for personal self-assessment of competencies that measure the skill level necessary to perform nutrition assessments with WIC clients. Based on the aggregate assessment results, online courses are being developed to meet specific training and education needs in order to improve the competence of the workforce. Individual WIC personnel can tailor their personal training and education. Local WIC agencies can utilize this information to create organizational training plans, improve nutrition services, and aid them in addressing the WIC assessment process performance standards. This project is funded, in part, by funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Administrators in any public or health care setting can benefit from this session as the model and processes can be applied to other disciplines and topical health prevention and promotion areas.