Abstract
The importance of a well-prepared public health workforce is widely recognized and appreciated. Strategies for enhancing workforce capacity and competency have been discussed by agencies, associations, committees, and expert panels since the landmark 1988 Institute of Medicine report. The need to foster the development of incentives for lifelong learning and career growth is of current interest to national public health associations and federal agencies. The fact that the public health workforce is not a single profession, but rather a fabric of many professions dedicated to a common endeavor, creates challenges to any singular approach. This article explores the relationships among competency, certification, and accreditation and summarizes the expert panel dialogue on workforce development incentives, specifically regarding certification and credentialing. The authors challenge public health leaders to become actively involved in framing the issues so the best possible strategies can be developed.
The importance of a well-prepared public health workforce is widely recognized and appreciated. Strategies for enhancing workforce capacity and competency have been discussed by agencies, associations, committees, and expert panels1,2 since the landmark 1988 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report The Future of Public Health.3 The need to foster the development of incentives for lifelong learning and career growth is of current interest to national public health associations and federal agencies. Healthy People 20104 includes three workforce infrastructure objectives that are presented in Table 1.
The 2003 IOM report Who Will Keep the Public Healthy?5 recommended voluntary certification for new Master's of Public Health (MPH) graduates in the ecological approach to public health since few in current graduate programs enter with health-specific experience. The fact that the public health workforce is not a single profession, but rather a fabric of many professions dedicated to a common endeavor creates challenges to any singular approach to workforce development. This article explores the relationship between competency, certification, and accreditation and summarizes the expert panel dialogue on workforce development incentives, specifically regarding certification and credentialing, which were conducted as part of the annual public health workforce development meetings (November 2000-January 2003) sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There is an evolving convergence of thought that multiple pathways can be developed to ensure a sustainable and competent workforce. The authors challenge public health leaders to become actively involved in framing the issues so the best possible strategies can be developed.