Job Task Analysis in Public Health: What Are the Essential Tasks of Public Health Professionals?

BACKGROUND:  The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) completed a Job Task Analysis for public health professionals in 2014.  The Job Task Analysis was designed to determine critical tasks which are performed by those working in public health.  

METHODS:  The NBPHE developed the survey instrument with the assistance of Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) and a panel of 18 individuals representing employers in various sectors of public health, including government, private sector, academia and non-profits.   The survey included 200 tasks in 10 content domains and 15 demographic characteristics.  In May and June of 2014, the survey was disseminated to partner organizations as well as directly to individuals working in public health.  Over 7,400 individuals responded to the survey with over 4,800 completing the majority of survey questions. 

RESULTS: Forty-eight% of the respondents had MPH degrees, 34% were employed in government, 26% in academia, 14% in non-profit, 11% in clinical or hospital and 7% in business or corporate settings. Fifteen % indicated being in entry-level positions while 45% indicated holding mid-level and 18.5% upper-level positions. The NBPHE is now analyzing the results in detail and will be working with partner organizations to interpret the results.  Further analysis will include comparing profiles of those working in different sectors of public health and an in-depth look at the tasks each of these groups indicated to be most critical to their jobs.  The NBPHE will also be examining the correlation between the domain areas of the Certified in Public Health credential (CPH) and the job task list which was an outcome of the survey.

CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of this analysis will yield an overview of the tasks most important public health professionals who completed the survey as well as important distinctions between levels and areas of employment.  The analysis will also inform the work of the CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health in rethinking the future of education in public health and may inform the activities of other professional groups, e.g., CEPH, PHAB, ASTHO, and NACCHO.