Pan-Canadian Core Competencies for Public Health

link to a short survey

More information

• Tell us what you think
• Background
• What are Core Competencies for Public Health?
• Using a Competency-Based Approach to Human Resource Planning
• How you can become involved
• Skills Enhancement for Public Health
• List of 45 Core Competencies
• Further Reading and Links
• Glossary
• Backgrounder

• Strengthen and stabilize the public health workforce
• Emphasize the front lines of the public health system
• Provide direction under national leadership
• Develop a competent public health workforce

The Public Health Agency of Canada, Office of Public Health Practice, is leading the development of core competencies for public health practitioners in Canada to help strengthen the public health workforce. A draft set of Core Competencies for Public Health have been developed by a federal, provincial, territorial public health task group. We need input from public health practitioners from across Canada to move forward with this initiative.

Tell us what you think

We know that you, as a public health practitioner, are passionate about promoting, protecting and improving health. You are an expert in the practice of public health, and are committed to improving the health of people and communities. Therefore we want you to tell us what you think about the Core Competencies for Public Health. To create the best possible outcome, we are trying to discuss the core competencies and their utilization with as many of the public health community as possible. The consultation process will include a series of regional consultation meetings across Canada, an on-line survey, implementation pilots, and work with discipline and professional organizations. The survey may be accessed by clicking here.

No attempt to improve public health will succeed that does not recognize the fundamental importance of providing and maintaining in every local health agency across Canada an adequate staff of highly skilled and motivated public health professionals. Our national aim should be to produce a cadre of outstanding public health professionals who are adequately qualified and compensated, and who have clear roles, responsibilities and career paths.

Learning from SARS: Renewal of Public Health in Canada, October 2003

In June 2004, the Ministers of Health made a commitment to support a 10-year action plan to strengthen the public health system. In 2005, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Joint Task Group on Public Health Human Resources developed a draft set of Core Competencies for Public Health practice in Canada. The Task Group recommended that there be a consultation with the public health community to obtain agreement on a set of core competencies and to identify utilization challenges and opportunities. The consultation will take place over the next several months and is made up of an online survey, implementation pilots and a series of regional consultation meetings.

The Task Group also released the pan-Canadian Framework for Public Health Human Resources Planning. This framework identifies key components to strengthen public health capacity including for example:

• Develop accreditation standards for public health
• Identify best practices and strategies for education, inter-professional work, and recruitment and retention of staff
• Define and gather data on the public health workforce for planning purposes
• Identify core competencies for public health and strategies and tools to support competency development, including education programs

The vision identified in the Framework is: “Through collaborative planning, all jurisdictions in Canada will have a flexible, knowledgeable public health workforce working in safe supportive environments to meet the populations’ public health needs and reduce health and social disparities.” (Ref. Pan-Canadian Framework for Public Health Human)

The Public Health Agency of Canada is leading some of this work with many partners from across Canada. In particular, the Agency’s Office of Public Health Practice is spearheading the development of the pan-Canadian Core Competencies for Public health and continuing education programs, such as the Skills Enhancement for Public Health program.

What are Core Competencies for Public Health?

Core competencies are the skills and knowledge essential to practice public health. They are independent of program and topic area and reflect a public health approach to health issues. Core competencies transcend the boundaries of specific disciplines and are program-independent.

A set of core competencies for public health in Canada has been drafted. The competencies have been grouped under 7 domains:

• Public health sciences
• Socio-cultural
• Assessment & analysis
• Communication
• Policy development & program planning
• Leadership
• Partnership, collaboration & advocacy

The pan-Canadian core competencies for public health are part of the foundation for public health disciplines to develop discipline-specific competencies. All public health professionals share the core competencies.

Using a Competency-Based Approach to Human Resource Planning

A human resource planning approach based upon core competencies will focus less on which public health professional performs a function and more on the skills, knowledge and abilities required to maintain public health. Competencies contribute to public health workforce development. They:
· provide a foundation to assess the types and numbers of public health practitioners

• identify the knowledge, skills and abilities required across an organization or program to fulfill public health functions;
• provide a basis for curriculum development, assessment of training and professional development needs;
• provide consistency in job descriptions and performance assessment;
• enhance capacity to identify the appropriate mix of public health workers;
• encourage service delivery in an inter professional, population based, and client centred manner;
• contribute to the recruitment, development, and retention of public health practitioners.

How you can become involved

We need your help to further develop and refine the pan-Canadian core competencies. As a member of the public health community, please tell us what you think and help to hone this draft set of competencies into its next form. To complete the online survey click the link and follow the instructions. The survey may be accessed by clicking here.

Skills Enhancement for Public Health

To enhance the application of core competencies, ongoing education will be important. An online continuing education program, called Skills Enhancement for Public Health, provides practitioners with an opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the core competencies for public health. The core of the program is a series of Internet-based, facilitated modules, in English and French, which include:

• Introduction to Online Learning;
• Basic Epidemiological Concepts;
• Measurement of Health Status;
• Descriptive Epidemiological Methods;
• Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases;
• Outbreak Investigation and Management; and
• Introduction to Surveillance.

Modules under development include:

• Applied Epidemiology: Injuries; Introduction to Information Management;
• Communicating Data Effectively;
• Evidence-based Planning; Basic Bio statistics; and,
• Survey Methods.

Another new module in development is Principles and Practices of Public Health. This is a short module for decision makers in public health programs, who do not have a background in public health. This module will eventually be adapted to help orient other staff new to public health.

There is an opportunity for the Skills Enhancement program to address other gaps in public health core competencies across Canada through continuing education.

The Core Competencies and Skills Enhancement for Public Health initiatives will enhance the opportunities for continuing professional development for public health practitioners.

For more information about Skills Enhancement for Public Health and to register for the Program, visit the web site at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/skills.

For more information, contact corecompetencies@phac-aspc.gc.ca
or call toll free: 1-877-430-9995.