Master’s Preparedness & Response Model

The Master’s Preparedness and Response model is designed for use by graduate level programs to enhance students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in the field of public health preparedness and response. It is anticipated that both faculty and students in public health preparedness and response programs will find value in this competency model.

The model is designed to add an additional layer of competencies to the existing MPH Core Competency Model. The MPH Core Competency Model represents the foundation and skills needed by all MPH graduates, while the Master’s-Level Preparedness and Response Competency Model indicates the additional abilities required for students specializing in public health preparedness.

Target Audience

Public health students pursuing a master’s level specialization or graduate certificate in emergency preparedness and response

Project Tenets

The competency model is built around eight overarching tenets. The model is meant to:

• Inform curricular planning for Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited schools and programs
•  Serve as a roadmap to improve disaster preparedness and response knowledge to protect the public’s health
• Prepare students, upon program completion, for a trajectory to assume expert roles in public health disaster preparedness and response
• Reflect and build upon existing competency models, including the MPH Core Competency Model
• Be applied within the context of public health incidents
• Utilize an all-hazards approach spanning across the homeland security mission areas (prevent, protect, respond and recover) and the disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, detection, response, containment, and recovery)
• Support the implementation of individual nations’ health security strategies
• Provide a stronger linkage between global health and public health preparedness and response

Competencies

• Roles and Relationships
  • Describe the roles of public health workers and public health organizations.
  • Identify the roles and relationships among federal, tribal, state, and local governments and non-governmental organizations.
  • Analyze the ethical challenges faced by public health workers and public health organizations.
  • Explain key legal issues that need to be addressed by public health workers and public health organizations.
  • Discuss strategies to promote community resilience.
  • Perform in an assigned public health leadership role.
• Communication and Information Management
  • Apply strategies for sharing information with internal and external partners.
  • Apply principles of crisis and risk communication.

   

• Planning and Improvement
  • Identify the key components of a continuity of operations plan.
  • Identify the key components of an emergency operations plan.
  • Use evaluation results in the development of an improvement plan.

   

• Assessment
  • Identify public health needs of a community.
  • Assess population health threats.
  • Assess public health capabilities.
  • Apply the principles of epidemiology and surveillance.
  • Conduct a rapid needs assessment.
• Incident Management
  • Address the needs of vulnerable populations.
  • Apply culturally competent public health actions.
  • Apply worker health and safety principles.
  • Describe psychosocial consequences likely to be experienced by public health workers and community members.
  • Identify countermeasures.
  • Describe surge strategies for the health system.

Full Educational Model and Report

Master's Level Preparedness & Response Model (351 KB)