Texas Public Health Employee Perspectives on Public Health Training Needs

ABSTRACT

Background: This study asked Texas state and local public health employees to rate perceived importance of public health skills for their current positions and sought to identify key training needs and skills gaps in workforce development.

Methods: This study used a prospective, cross-sectional design to distributie an anonymous online survey to public health officials across Texas between November 2022 and January 2023, using a snowball sampling approach. Respondents were prompted to provide Likert scale responses to rate the perceived importance of various public health skills and software tools for respondents’ current positions. Additionally, free-text responses were analyzed for thematic trends in training needs.

Results: Respondents most frequently rated professional communication, cultural com­petence, and assessment/evaluation as “extremely important.” Individuals with an MPH rated epidemiology, case investigation, and cultural competence skills more highly than their non-MPH counterparts. Qualitative comments emphasized the need for real-world field training.

Conclusions: The findings highlight meaningful needs in public health workforce training, particularly in the areas of leadership, data management, and public health knowledge. Despite the ongoing need for skilled public health professionals, especially with an aging workforce, there is a notable shortage of individuals with formal public health education. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating public health training across disciplines, including clinical education, and promoting continuing education to build a resilient, adaptable workforce capable of addressing evolving public health challenges.

Keywords: Public health workforce; public health skills; training needs; burnout and retention; workforce development