Analysis of Available Online Training for Canadian Public Health Professionals

Jung, James J.; Duhaime, Kim; Prairie, André La

doi:10.1177/2373379915599406

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…26 Workforce training and continuing education are an essential part of competency development, especially when there is a lack of graduate training options in communication and other competencies, as was found in Canada. 14 , 15 The Canadian Public Health Association has recommended workforce training in modernized competencies as key for strengthening the public health system. 1 , 27 PHAC used to offer Skills Online, an eight-module professional development program that directly supported the core competency categories.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 13 , 14 Also, research into online continuing education programs found that only about half the courses offered in 2015 included communication as a topic. 15 Although several online courses are available for public health professionals in Canada, Jung et al 15 found that these did not provide comprehensive coverage of the PHAC core competencies, including within the communication domain; nor were they readily accessible through a central online database.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Public health communication professional development opportunities and alignment with core competencies: an environmental scan and content analysis

MacKay,

McAlpine,

Worte

et al. 2024

Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Communication is vital for effective and precise public health practice. The limited formal educational opportunities in health communication render professional development opportunities especially important. Competencies for public health communication describe the integrated knowledge, values, skills and behaviours required for practitioner and organizational performance. Many countries consider communication a core public health competency and use communication competencies in workforce planning and development. Methods We conducted an environmental scan and content analysis to determine the availability of public health communication professional development opportunities in Canada and the extent to which they support communication-related core competencies. Three relevant competency frameworks were used to assess the degree to which professional development offerings supported communication competency development. Results Overall, 45 professional development offerings were included: 16 “formalized offerings” (training opportunities such as courses, webinars, certificate programs) and 29 “materials and tools” (resources such as toolkits, guidebooks). The formalized offerings addressed 25% to 100% of the communication competencies, and the materials and tools addressed 67% to 100%. Addressing misinformation and disinformation, using current technology and communicating with diverse populations are areas in need of improved professional development. Conclusion There is a significant gap in public health communication formalized offerings in Canada and many of the materials and tools are outdated. Public health communication professional development offerings lack coordination and do not provide comprehensive coverage across the communication competencies, limiting their utility to strengthen the public health workforce. More, and more comprehensive, professional development offerings are needed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health communication professional development opportunities and alignment with core competencies: an environmental scan and content analysis

MacKay,

McAlpine,

Worte

et al. 2024

Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This includes the National Collaborating Centres for public health, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, and PHAC. Additionally, there are other universities that offer online continuing education related to public health, even though they may not offer a full public health program (Jung, Duhaime, & La Prairie, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enumeration of the Schools and Students of Public Health in Canada

Jung

Alexandre

Sarker

et al. 2015

Pedagogy in Health Promotion

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Canada has experienced a growing trend in university public health education since the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003. However, the number of universities offering undergraduate and graduate public health degrees has not been accurately enumerated. Our study objectives were to quantify the university public health programs in Canada, examine the number of students graduating from these programs, and identify any trends and gaps. Websites of Canadian universities were reviewed to identify public health degree programs. We examined their academic units, degrees offered, year of establishment, references to public health core competencies, offerings of continuing education, and accreditation status. The faculties were contacted via survey, email, and/or phone to obtain the number of students issued a degree. We identified 36 faculties in 32 universities in Canada offering public health–related programs (four faculties offered programs accredited by a public health association). At present, 17 universities offer Master of Public Health degrees, representing over a threefold increase since 2003. We observed a twofold increase in the number of undergraduate and graduate public health students in the past 5 years. About two thirds of the universities stated a competencies-based learning curriculum, and less than half of the faculties offered continuing education opportunities for public health professionals. In little over a decade, public health education in Canada has changed from a subspecialty of medicine to distinct academic and research institutions. Further study is needed to determine the influences of the increase in public health academic programs and their graduates on Canada’s public health workforce.

show abstract

“…14 The use of webinars to guide public health practice is not new. 15 However, aside from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web page on "engaging recorded webinars," 16 we found no research literature and no other disseminated evidence-based guidelines for recommendations on effective live webinar learning for public health, even as educational development using online strategies has been increasing over the years and among public health workers. 17 The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP) serves as the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Region 10 Public Health Training Center, housed at the University of Washington School of Public Health.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The use of webinars to guide public health practice is not new 15. However, aside from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web page on “engaging recorded webinars,”16 we found no research literature and no other disseminated evidence-based guidelines for recommendations on effective live webinar learning for public health, even as educational development using online strategies has been increasing over the years and among public health workers 17…”

mentioning

confidence: 89%

“Hot Topics in Practice” Webinars: Best Practices for Public Health Webinar Development

Bekemeier

Rogers

Rose

et al. 2022

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context: Online education is well researched in some professions; yet, little evidence exists regarding related quality standards for public health practice-particularly with regard to popular webinar offerings. Our objective was to identify and disseminate best practices in public health webinar development for use in development of high-quality, timely webinars for public health practice. Program: We assessed data from the Hot Topics in Practice monthly webinar series that included public health professionals primarily from US Northwest states as regular webinar participants. Implementation: We conducted a secondary analysis, using participant evaluation data from 9 years of online questionnaires. Subsequent recommendations were developed using participants' responses to postwebinar questionnaires. Thematic analysis of qualitative quarterly reports, as well as 12 years of webinar production team knowledge, supplemented development of best practice recommendations that were not recognized through secondary analysis of respondent questionnaires alone. Evaluation: Participant responses tended to be positive when specific practices were followed. These best practices were identified as follows: Address timely topics on current events; Feature only 1 to 2 speakers; Use a limited number of consistently formatted slides; Stay on schedule and make time for audience questions; Minimize technical difficulties; Use effective storytelling to share lessons and key data; Intentionally foster audience engagement (eg, through audience polling, question and answer); Develop clear learning objectives; Provide appropriate resources for continued learning; and Consider audience feedback for continuous improvements. Discussion: Our team identified essential elements for creating high-quality, engaging webinars for public health learning. Best practice recommendations resulting from this study address gaps in quality standards and provide knowledge needed for making effective learning accessible to public health practice and supportive of advancing the field. Findings were synthesized into a practice guide, And We're Live: Creating Engaging Public Health Webinars, to aid public health learning.

show abstract

Analysis of Available Online Training for Canadian Public Health Professionals

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Public health communication professional development opportunities and alignment with core competencies: an environmental scan and content analysis

Public health communication professional development opportunities and alignment with core competencies: an environmental scan and content analysis

Enumeration of the Schools and Students of Public Health in Canada

“Hot Topics in Practice” Webinars: Best Practices for Public Health Webinar Development

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About