Important Competencies for Future Health and Wellness Professionals: An Investigation of Employer Desired Skills

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the validity of the professional competencies developed by the Association of Worksite Health Promotion (AWHP) Professional Standards Task Force. The task force identified a competency framework that included business skills, program coordination skills, and human resource skills with corresponding subskills. The AWHP Task Force also recommended education degrees/certifications and desirable wellness/health promotion on-the-job-experience for program providers. In response to requests by professional organizations, 418 working health professionals voluntarily completed an online survey about the usefulness of the AWHP competency framework. Data were collected from members of the former AWHP (now part of American College of Sports Medicine), the National Wellness Institute, the Health Education Directory, and HPCareer.net. Findings indicate expected skill competencies of health professionals have expanded, and corresponding curriculum adjustments are needed. The results further indicated that continual development of a set of professional standards for the health promotion field is timely and needed.