1. Health Educator Job Analysis Project Timeline Report
Dr. Eva Doyle Dr. Beverly Mahoney
Task Force Chair Steering Committee Member
AAHPERD National Conference
Tampa, Florida, April 2009

2. History Accreditation for
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
National standard of excellence
Requires extensive reviews
Requires periodic competency updates
Competencies
Update
Project
New
Exam Framework
2007
Released Competency Update Project (CUP) was completed and published, based on six year project to review and update competencies of health educators.
New Framework was adopted, and the Division Board for Certification of Health Education Specialists adjusted the CHES exam to reflect changes made in the Framework. – October 2007
2008:  National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.(NCHEC) received its accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
National standard of excellence for accrediting bodies
Requires extensive review of credentialing body
Requires periodic competency updates, (Though no specific number of years is mandated, according to known “best practices of certification agencies,” an update “about every 5 years” is generally recommended.)

3. Health Educator Job Analysis
PURPOSE To validate the contemporary practice of entry-level and advanced-level health educators
The process of validating the contemporary practice of entry-level and advanced-level health educators altering areas of responsibility, competencies, and sub-competencies as needed to reflect current practice.
Findings will be used to:
Examine current practice
Revise and refine description of practice as needed. (Update CHES to be reflective of tasks and knowledge used in contemporary health education.)
Inform/shape academic programs

4. Project Partners Professional Examination Service (PES)
Contracted by NCHEC
Standards/best practices:
American Educational Research Association
American Psychological Association
National Council on Measurement in Education
Three organizations (NCHEC, AAHE, SOPHE) partnering with..
Professional Examination Service (PES)
Organization contracted by NCHEC to handle testing issues
Based on credentialing standards and best practices established by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education

5. Phase 1: Work Group Selection
Health educators selected
June-July 2008
Steering committee formed
May 8, 2008
Call for volunteers
May 2008
200 health educators responded from across work settings & demographic groups
Task force (n=12)
Subject matter experts (38)
Phone interview (10)
Instrument review (18)
Instrument pilot (25)
AAHE
SOPHE
NCHEC
DBCHES
Task Force Chair
Steering committee formed May 8, 2008
Comprised of leaders from:
AAHE, SOPHE, NCHEC, DBCHES, JATF Chair
Working with representatives from PES
Call went out in May of 2008 for volunteers to be a part of the process
Over 200 health educators from all settings responded
Steering committee worked diligently to selected 4 groups of health educators from pool of 200. Each group represented diversity of work settings & other demographic variables such as geographic setting, gender, ethnicity.

6. Phase 2: Instrument Development
1-Phone interviews (n=10)
2-Task force meeting #1 (n=11)
3-Terminology review (subcommittee)
4-Task force: independent review
5-Content reconciliation (subcommittee)
6-Subject Matter Experts: Independent review (n=18)
7-Task force meeting #2
8-Instrument pilot (n=25)
JATF SC
PES
Professional
Examination Service
Steering
Committee
PES experts have been guiding the study in partnership with the project steering committee and the Job Analysis Task Force.
A description of research-based methodologies used to develop the survey instrument will be published at a later date. In the interest of time, I will quickly overview the multiple stages implemented to date since August of last year.
The current framework (responsibilities, competencies, subcompetencies), CUP findings/recommendations, recommendations from the Galway meeting, and a crosswalk study of contemporary practice were used as the basis for developing the survey instrument.
Input regarding potential survey items that would represent contemporary practice across work settings was obtain from a series of groups – each of which was carefully selected by the steering committee from the pool of 200 to represent diverse work settings and other demographic variables.
A combination of In-depth oral interviews, focus groups, and modified Delphi techniques were used, along with input from specifically assigned subcommittees and the steering committee at various stages, were applied in this process.
In each stage, participants were asked to provide feedback on potential survey items as they reflect the contemporary practice of health educators.
As you can see, the process entailed a series of
Phone interviews – group work of the job analysis task force (focus group formats)
Subcommittees assigned to align terminology & recommendations from the CUP, Galway meeting, and cross walk study
Independent reviewers
Back to the JATF
Out to an instrument pilot group
The work had been extensive involving over 65 health educators from across the country and from diverse work settings and practice perspectives.
The resulting survey instrument contains 249 items that are largely aligned with our known 7 areas of responsibility. That is a large number of items – but the decision was made to err on the side of inclusion of potential competencies that will either be validated as part of contemporary practiced or eliminated based on survey responses. (Knowledge statements – 114 – reflect practice such as “knowledge about theories”)
(Note from Carla Caro..
Total items = 249 ; (Less Area VIII (28) = 221)
Knowledge statements
Total = 114)
Job Analysis
Task Force

7. Next Steps in Analysis Early April Late March Late April May June July
Pilot test completed
Instrument refined
Late March
Invitation to register (CNHEO, CHES)
Late
April
Online survey completed
May
Data analyzed
June
Job Analysis Task Force Meeting
July
Report submitted
Next Steps in Analysis
Complete pilot test and refine instrument by next week.
Invitation to all health educators to register for participation online
Invitation going out to organizational members via the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations
So far: AAHE, SOPHE ACHA ASHA, APHA PHEHP section.
CHES data base
Others (Journal of Health Promotion subscribers to capture workplace, their conference: work site people at their conference “Art & Science of Health Promotion”; ?)
Sampling goal is to be as inclusive as possible– target: 4500 respondents.
Registrants will receive ed invitation to complete survey.
Online survey will be completed by end of April
Data analysis in May
Report to JATF for late June meeting
Final report to NCHEC, SOPHE, and AAHE September of 2009

8. Please register for survey! We need your help! (see handout)
Invite to register – refer them to handout.

9. Following the Project Information disseminated through…
Newsletters
Websites
Presentations
Publications
Implications for….
Certification
Framework: 2010
Entry-level adjustments: 2011
MCHES parameters: 2011
Professional preparation
Professional development
Information/study findings will be disseminated through a wide variety of channels…(see slide)
Implications….
Certification:
NCHEC will review data with AAHE and SOPHE.
Release Revised Framework 2010
Make results available to the profession via presentations and newsletters
Adjust entry level CHES exam- 2011
Establish parameters for testing MCHES level- 2011
Professional preparation
Professional development

10. Questions?