Psychology, along with other health care professions, is moving toward a competency-based model of education, training, and practice. This article describes the development and refinement of a model of professional competency for the practice of psychology. Sixty-nine psychologists engaged in an iterative process of feedback and refinement of the initial development of the competency model. Then, a survey of 403 randomly chosen psychologists in the United States and Canada, examining the criticality, frequency, and importance of the components of the model, was conducted to obtain broader feedback on the utility of the model. The survey respondents also commented on when specific behavioral exemplars for each competency should be acquired (during practicum, during internship, at the point of independent practice, or postindependent practice). This final competency model contains six clusters (Scientific Knowledge, Evidence-Based Decision-Making/ Critical Reasoning, Interpersonal and Cultural Competence, Professionalism/Ethics, Assessment, and Intervention/Supervision/Consultation), with 37 specific competencies and 277 behavioral exemplars. The implications of this model for academic programs, internships and postdoctoral EMIL RODOLFA received his doctorate degree from Texas A&M University. 71 72 RODOLFA ET AL.trainers, and psychology regulators, as well as for the future of the culture of competency in psychology, are discussed.

Objective To develop a comprehensive and current description of what health informatics (HI) professionals do and what they need to know. Materials and Methods Six independent subject-matter expert panels drawn from and representative of HI professionals contributed to the development of a draft HI delineation of practice (DoP). An online survey was distributed to HI professionals to validate the draft DoP. A total of 1011 HI practitioners completed the survey. Survey respondents provided domain, task, knowledge and skill (KS) ratings, qualitative feedback on the completeness of the DoP, and detailed professional background and demographic information. Results This practice analysis resulted in a validated, comprehensive, and contemporary DoP comprising 5 domains, 74 tasks, and 144 KS statements. Discussion The HI practice analysis defined “health informatics professionals” to include practitioners with clinical (eg, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy), public health, and HI or computer science training. The affirmation of the DoP by reviewers and survey respondents reflects the emergence of a core set of tasks performed and KSs used by informaticians representing a broad spectrum of those currently practicing in the field. Conclusion The HI practice analysis represents the first time that HI professionals have been surveyed to validate a description of their practice. The resulting HI DoP is an important milestone in the maturation of HI as a profession and will inform HI certification, accreditation, and education activities.

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We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of competency models, as well as for the implementation of competency requirements in both licensure or registration and training contexts.

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