| Indicator 8.1 Workforce Competencies 83.5% |
 | - Position requirements for all laboratory position categories within state and local public health laboratories are identified |
 | - The SPH Laboratory System has tools to assess competencies of the workforce |
| Indicator 8.2 Staff Development 50% |
| - The SPH Laboratory System identifies staff development needs |
 | - The SPH Laboratory System assures that resources for staff development are available for laboratorians |
| Indicator 8.3 Assuring Laboratory Workforce 33% |
| - The SPH Laboratory System maintains an environment that attracts and retains exceptional staff |
| - The SPH Laboratory System addresses workforce shortage issues |
Next Steps for Action, Essential Service #8:
- Establish consistent competencies across system (high priority)
- Consider licensure of CLS (this has state and national ramifications, but steps can be taken at state level) (high)
- Foster partnership between University and MDH to prepare new and provide ongoing training for existing laboratory professionals (i.e., IT, understanding how “system” works)(high)
- Clarify and communicate competency/certification requirements for staff/laboratories
- Clarify national environmental standards
- Borrow from other national/local best practices to learn how best to assure workforce competency (high)
- Establish/address standards for assessing workforce competency
- Clarify one, consistent SPHL contact point for communication with partners
- Establish system to “validate” new methods and technologies for emerging science, assure quality and if testing is performed on more than one plane, certify results
- Establish system to link staff credentials with person actually performing test
- Assure gap analysis - so as training/education needs emerge, they are addressed – for individual organizations and system wide
- Provide access to and incentives for continuing education (current system is punitive)
- Follow-through on identified staff development needs
- Assure approaches for planning, funding, time, and resources for training and collaborate on training when some labs are not at same level as the definitive lab
- Establish training that goes beyond competitive barriers
- Increase salaries (high priority)
- Offer expanded career pathways (high)
- Continue existing workforce initiatives (i.e., HEIP)(high)
- Promote awareness of value of laboratory profession and respect for professionals (high)
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