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Introduction: The University of Minnesota: Simulations, Exercises and Effective Education: Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center uses simulations, which allow trainees to participate in realistic scenarios, to develop and evaluate competency., Background/rationale: In a previous study, participants in Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation demonstrated that prior bioterrorism and emergency readiness training (BT/ER) is significantly associated with better performance in a simulated emergency. We conducted a second analysis with a larger data set, remapping simulation questions to the Public Health Preparedness and Response Core Competency Model, Version 1.0., Methods/activity: We performed an outcome evaluation of the impact of public health preparedness training. In particular, we compared individuals with significant BT/ER training to individuals without training on the basis of performance in a simulated emergency. We grouped participants as group 1 (≥45 hours of BT/ER training) and group 2 (<45 hours). Dependent variables included effectiveness of chosen responses within the gaming simulation, which was measured as the proportion of questions answered correctly for each participant. The relationship of effectiveness with significant BT/ER training was estimated using either multiple linear or logistic regression., Results/outcomes: For overall effectiveness, group 1 had 2% more correct decisions, on average, than group 2 (P < .001). Group 1 performed significantly better, on average, than group 2 for competency 1.1 (P = .001) and competency 2.3 (P < .001). However, group 1 was significantly worse on competency 1.2 than group 2., Discussion: Results indicate that prior training is significantly associated with better performance in a simulated emergency using gaming technology. Effectiveness differed by competency, indicating that more training may be needed in certain competency areas., Next Steps: Next steps to enhancing the usefulness of simulations in training should go beyond questioning if the learner learned and included questions related to the organizational factors that contributed to simulation effectiveness, and attributes of the simulation that encouraged competency and capacity building.

Objectives: In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) commissioned an Evidence-Based Gaps Collaboration Group to consider whether past experience could help guide future efforts to educate and train public health workers in responding to emergencies and disasters., Methods: The Group searched the peer-reviewed literature for preparedness training articles meeting three criteria: publication during the period when CDC's Centers for Public Health Preparedness were fully operational, content relevant to emergency response operations, and content particular to the emergency response roles of public health professionals. Articles underwent both quantitative and qualitative analyses., Results: The search identified 163 articles covering the topics of leadership and command structure (18.4%), information and communications (14.1%), organizational systems (78.5%), and others (23.9%). The number of reports was substantial, but their usefulness for trainers and educators was rated only "fair" to "good." Thematic analysis of 137 articles found that organizational topics far outnumbered leadership, command structure, and communications topics. Disconnects among critical participants--including trainers, policy makers, and public health agencies--were noted. Generalizable evaluations were rare., Conclusions: Reviews of progress in preparedness training for the public health workforce should be repeated in the future. Governmental investment in training for preparedness should continue. Future training programs should be grounded in policy and practice needs, and evaluations should be based on performance improvement.

Objective: We conducted a longitudinal study to evaluate the impact of a curriculum designed to develop competency in emergency preparedness among public health professionals., Methods: At six and 12 months following completion of one or more courses in the areas of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, or in food protection, course participants were contacted and asked to identify if their participation allowed them to develop targeted competencies, identify important knowledge or skills they had acquired, provide examples of application of learning, and describe the impact of changes. Over five years, 36 sets of data were collected., Results: The response rate of those who responded at either six or 12 months, or for both time periods, was 63%. At both six and 12 months,those who responded agreed that the learning activity helped them develop the competency associated with it in the curriculum plan. Respondents described multiple applications of learning and reported the development of reflective and systems-thinking abilities., Conclusions: The results provide compelling evidence that learners do develop competencies that impact their work activities as a result of competency-based educational programming and are able to apply these competencies in their work and organizational activities.

Objective: We performed an outcome evaluation of the impact of public health preparedness training as a group comparison posttest design to determine the differences in the way individuals who had participated in training performed in a simulated emergency., Methods: The Experimental Group 1 included students who had graduated from or were currently enrolled in the bioterrorism and emergency readiness (BT/ER) curriculum at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The comparison groups included individuals who had access to the Internet and were aware of the 2006 online simulation Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation. The evaluation process employed surveys and the gaming simulation as sources for primary data., Results: Participants in the BT/ER curriculum (p=0.0001) and other participants completing at least 45 hours of training in the past year (p=0.0001) demonstrated higher effectiveness scores (accuracy of chosen responses within the simulation) than participants who did not report significant amounts of training., Conclusions: This evaluation research demonstrated that training is significantly associated with better performance in a simulated emergency using gaming technology.

As a result of the growing need for public-health veterinarians, novel educational programs are essential to train future public-health professionals. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health, in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine, initiated a dual DVM/MPH program in 2002. This program provides flexibility by combining distance learning and on-campus courses offered through a summer public-health institute. MPH requirements are completed through core courses, elective courses in a focus area, and an MPH project and field experience. Currently, more than 100 students representing 13 veterinary schools are enrolled in the program. The majority of initial program graduates have pursued public-practice careers upon completion of the program. Strengths of the Minnesota program design include accessibility and an environment to support multidisciplinary training. Continued assessment of program graduates will allow for evaluation and adjustment of the program in the coming years.

In 2002, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (UMNSPH) adopted an approach that supports basic, advanced, and continuing education curricula to train current and future public health workers. This model for lifelong learning for public health practice education allows for the integration of competency domains from the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice's core public health workforce competency levels and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies. This article describes how UMNSPH has implemented the model through coordination with state planning efforts and needs assessments in the tristate region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. In addition, we discuss methods used for credentialing practitioners who have achieved competency at various levels of performance to enhance the capacity of the public health preparedness systems.