Considerations for increasing the competences and capacities of the public health workforce: assessing the training needs of public health workers in Texas

A recent evaluation sought to address the role of the 10 essential public health services in job services among the Texas public health workforce. Additionally, the evaluation examined the Texas public health workforce's need for training in the 10 essential public health services.Overall, the level of perceived training needs varied dramatically by job category and health department type. When comparing aggregate training needs, public health workers with greater day-to-day contact (nurses, health educators) indicated a greater need for training than their peers who did not, such as those working in administrative positions. When prioritizing and designing future training modules regarding the 10 essential public health services, trainers should consider the effects of job function, location and contact with the public.Over the last two decades, a series of national reports have expressed concern with the readiness of the public health workforce to adequately address the scientific, technological, social, political and economic challenges facing the field. The 1988 report from the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health served as a catalyst for the re-examination of the public health infrastructure and the workforce in particular. The Committee's call to increase the relevance of public health education and training for public health practice prompted a renewed effort to identify the scientific, technical, managerial and leadership competences needed by public health personnel in the field and the organizations that employ them [1]. In 2003, the IOM reiterated its call for action to train public health workers in core competences, specifically those working in public health departments [2].Despite impressive gains over the past decades, many public health challenges remain. Changes in communicable disease control (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis) and the evolution of social and behavioural problems (violence, addiction, obesity)