The
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently issued a guidance
document titled “Competency Guidelines for Public Health Laboratory
Professionals: CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories.”
The
summary reads:
“These
competency guidelines outline the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary
for public health laboratory (PHL) professionals to deliver the core services
of PHLs efficiently and effectively.
As
part of a 2-year workforce project sponsored in 2012 by CDC and the Association
of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), competencies for 15 domain areas were
developed by experts representing state and local PHLs, clinical laboratories,
academic institutions, laboratory professional organizations, CDC, and APHL.
The competencies were developed and reviewed by approximately 170 subject
matter experts with diverse backgrounds and experiences in laboratory science
and public health. The guidelines comprise general, cross-cutting, and
specialized domain areas and are divided into four levels of proficiency:
beginner, competent, proficient, and expert.
The
15 domain areas are 1) Quality Management System, 2) Ethics, 3) Management and
Leadership, 4) Communication, 5) Security, 6) Emergency Management and
Response, 7) Workforce Training, 8) General Laboratory Practice, 9) Safety, 10)
Surveillance, 11) Informatics, 12) Microbiology, 13) Chemistry, 14)
Bioinformatics, and 15) Research.
These
competency guidelines are targeted to scientists working in PHLs, defined as
governmental public health, environmental, and agricultural laboratories that
provide analytic biological and/or chemical testing and testing-related
services that protect human populations against infectious diseases, foodborne
and waterborne diseases, environmental hazards, treatable hereditary disorders,
and natural and human-made public health emergencies.”
Posted by Tim Sandle
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