Chapter 6 Health Science

Quality assurance

Planned and systematic activities necessary to provide adequate confidence that the product or service will meet given requirements

Credentialing

Process whereby an individual or a professional preparation program meets the specified standards established by the credentialing body, and is thus recognized for having done so

Accreditation

Recognized professional body evaluates a professional preparation program

Licensure

Agency or government grants permission to individuals to practice a given profession by certifying that those licensed have attained specific standards of competence

Certification

Professional organization grants recognition to an individual who, upon completion of a competency-based curriculum, can demonstrate a predetermined standard of performance

Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)

Certification awarded to health educators who meet the competencies established by the profession

Master Health Education Specialists (MCHES)

Advanced certification awarded to health education specialists who meet the competencies established by the profession

1974, Helen P. Cleary, SOPHE President,

found the profession in disarray

1978, Bethesda Conference on Commonalities & Differences

Questions
-Commonalities & differences in function by settings?
-Commonalities & differences in preparation?
Results
-One profession
-Credentialing system was necessary
-National Task Force on the Preparation & Practice of Health Education was born

1979

-role delineation project began
-Alan Henderson hired
-initial role was defined

1980

survey for verification and refinement of the role

1981

Birmingham Conference of academics

Early 1980s

-curriculum guide created- written by Betty Mathews & Herb Jones
-pretested around the country
-later turned into a curriculum framework (responsibilities, competencies, & sub-competencies)

1986
1988, National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC, pronounced "N-check") formed to replace Task Force

2nd Bethesda Conference to determine if credentialing system should be pursued

Over next two years, National Task Force on the Preparation and Practice of Health Education worked with

Professional Examination Service (PES) to develop an exam

Individual Certification

1988, charter certification period began for CHES
1990, charter certification ended and first CHES examination was held; 644 passed; now offered twice a year (Oct. & April)

Benefits of national certification (NCHEC, 2010)

-Establishes a national standard of practice
-Attests to an individual's knowledge and skills
-Assists employers in identifying qualified health education practitioners
-Creates a sense of pride & accomplishment
-Promotes continued professional developmen

Current criteria to sit for CHES examination

Possess a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an accredited institution of higher education; AND an official transcript that clearly shows a major in health education, e.g. Health Education, Community Health Education, Public Health Education, S

Graduate Health Education Standards

CHES attested to entry level skills; no such guidance at graduate-level
1992, Joint Committee for Graduate Standards established
1996, National Congress for Institutions Preparing Graduate Health Educators held in Dallas, TX, to review draft of graduate s

Competencies Update Project (CUP)

Initial Role Delineation Project began nearly 30 years ago; profession has matured
1998, Competencies Update Project (CUP) began; 25 member advisory committee; three person steering committee- Gary Gilmore, Allison Taub, Larry Olson
Purpose: determine the

Health Education Job Analysis (HEJA) 2010

National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accredits accrediting agencies; requires job analysis every five years
In 2008, for NCHEC to be accredited by NCCA, NCHEC, AAHE, & SOPHE commissioned the HEJA 2010
2010, results of HEJA 2010 confirmed the

Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis (HESPA)

For NCHEC to maintain accreditation for CHES and MCHES credentials, profession of health education/promotion must conduct an analysis of the practice of health education specialists every 5 years
HESPA 18-month project began in spring 2013
Estimated that

International Efforts in Quality Assurance

Many countries outside the U.S. have endeavored to improve health education/promotion practice
2008, Galway Consensus Conference, held in Ireland; yielded domains of core competency (Allegrante et al., 2009)

Program Accreditation

Accreditation defined... "a process by which a recognized body evaluates an entire program against predetermined criteria or standards" (Cleary, 1995)
Programs in colleges & universities are accredited
Accrediting/Approval bodies
School health
National Co

Accreditation Task Forces

Since 2000, accreditation a major focus of the profession
SOPHE/AAHE National Task Force on Accreditation in Health Education
-Conducted review of accreditation issue
-Issued final report with four principles to guide the profession
-Health education is a

Responsibilities and Competencies of Health Education Specialists

The practice of health education specialists is delineated as responsibilities, competencies, and sub-competencies

responsibilities -

specify the overall scope of practice

competencies -

three to seven under each responsibility & reflect ability to understand, know, etc.

sub-competencies - three to twelve under each competency & reflect specific skills

three to twelve under each competency & reflect specific skills

Responsibilities, competencies, and sub-competencies are presented in the A Competency-Based Framework for

Health Education Specialists-2010; a product of HEJA 2010

Competency-Based Framework for Health Education Specialists-2010
-Like the CUP, has responsibilities, competencies, & has sub-competencies for both entry-level and advanced-level practitioners

7 responsibilities
39 competencies
223 sub-competencies
162 entry-level sub-competencies
61 advanced-level sub-competencies

Responsibility I - Assess Needs, Assets, and Capacity for Health Education

May be most critical step
Collect data: primary & secondary

needs assessment -

determines what health problems exist, what assets are available to address the problems, & the overall capacity of the community to address the health problems

capacity -

both individual and collective resources that can be brought to bear for health enhancement" (Gilmore & Campbell, 2005, p. 7).

assets -

skills, resources, agencies, groups, & individuals

Responsibility II - Plan Health Education

Based upon needed assessment
Recruit stakeholders to help plan
Develop goals and objectives
Develop appropriate interventions

Rule of Sufficiency -

effective enough to accomplish the program objectives

Responsibility III - Implement Health Education

Actual presentation of the program
Understand priority population
Comfortable with wide range of educational methods/techniques
Continue to monitor once up & running
Apply a number of sub-competencies
Adhere to code of ethics

Responsibility IV - Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education

Critical to conduct accurate evaluation; prove worth
Create a plan to assess the objectives
Collect, analyze, & interpret data
Use results to modify/improve current or future programs
Research is vital to the profession

health education research

a systematic investigation involving the analysis of collected information or data that is ultimately used to enhance health education knowledge or practice and answers one or more questions about health-related theory, behavior, or phenomenon" (Cottrell

Responsibility V - Administer and Manage Health Education

There is much to administer & coordinate
More a function of the experienced health education specialist
Facilitate cooperation among personnel, both within & between programs
Knowledge of existing programs is important to avoid overlap in services

Responsibility VI - Serve as a Health Education Resource Person

Retrieve health education information to answer questions
Skill needed to access resources
Select or develop educational resources for dissemination
Establishing effective consultative relationships with those seeking assistance

Responsibility VII - Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education

Effective oral and written communication skills, as well as mass media use
Translate difficult scientific concepts so that constituents understand the information necessary to improve and protect their health
Initiate and support legislation, rules, polic

multitasking -

skill of coordinating & completing multiple projects at the same time

technology -

familiar & comfortable with computers & other technology; social networking an important part

role modeling -

important or not?

Advanced Study in Health Education

Continuing education
-A must for staying current
-Being active in a professional association
Required for CHES & MCHES
Master's degree (M.A., M.Ed., M.P.H., M.S., M.S.P.H.)
-Required for some positions
-May bring more money; open doors for other positions

Selecting a Graduate School

For listings of graduate programs see the:
Currently, there is no current listing for non-CEPH accredited community health education programs
Council on Education for Public Health Web site, http://www.ceph.org, for accredited programs in public health
Im

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements vary from school to school
Undergraduate GPA; > 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Application form, letter of application, & letters of recommendation
Standardized test scores (GRE or MAT) are typically required

Graduate assistantships (or fellowships)

Typically require the student to work part-time for the health education program, in return for paying all or part of the graduate tuition and providing a monthly stipend to cover living expenses

Graduate teaching assistantship (or fellowship)

Student teaches a specified number of undergraduate courses each term

Graduate research assistantship (or fellowship)

Student would usually work closely with one or more faculty members on a particular research project