Online Program

286189
Keeping current in health education: Processes to verify practice of health education specialists


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 10:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Dixie Dennis, PhD, MCHES, College of Graduate Studies, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
James McKenzie, PhD, MPH, MCHES, Ball State University, Elizabethtown, PA
Linda Lysoby, MS, MCHES, CAE, National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc (NCHEC), Whitehall, PA
M. Elaine Auld, MPH, MCHES, Society for Public Health Education, Washington, DC
Melissa A. Rehrig, MPH, MCHES, National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc, Whitehall, PA
The Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) certifications offered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) are based on Areas of Responsibilities, Competencies, and Sub-competencies, which have been verified and refined in a series of studies, including the Role Delineation Project (1985), the Competencies Update Project (CUP, 1998-2004) and the Health Education Job Analysis (HEJA, 2010). To verify current practice of health education specialists, a 21-month job analysis study began in 2013. Organizational stakeholders were engaged to facilitate cooperation to improve the previous processes and participation in the job analysis. The study involves exploring the similarities and differences between credentialed entry- and advanced-level health education specialists, CHES and MCHES, as well as certified and non-certified health education specialists. Results of this study will provide a systematic and valid update of the entry and advanced areas of practice. In addition, it will yield updated Responsibilities, Competencies, and Sub-competencies that are the basis for both a curricular framework for professional preparation programs in school, community/public health education and the content outlines and test specifications for both the CHES and MCHES examinations.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Differentiate between the procedures for the 2010 and latest health education job analysis. Explain efforts to facilitate cooperation among stakeholders responsible for health education in the health education job analysis. Describe the process used to develop the research questions for the study. Identify opportunities for practicing health education specialists to participate in this study.

Keyword(s): Competency, Certification

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved with competency development and certification boards for 11 years specifically with the CHES and MCHES examinations. I am currently the Executive Director of the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC)
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.