APHL 2022 POSTER ABSTRACTS
Investing in the Future of the Public Health Laboratory Workforce : Results of a Basic Molecular Methods TNA in New Jersey
S Mikorski , T Frez , R Siderits , T Kirn , M Schachter , B Jeong and A MacMillan , New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories
A four-part Training Needs Assessment ( TNA ) to identify the “ gap ” between knowledge and skills in Quality Assurance , Basic Molecular Methods , Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics was developed in 2020 with the assistance of internal and external subject matter experts and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , ( CDC ) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity ( ELC ) Cooperative Agreement . The first two parts of the assessment were administered to 80 staff members in the Public Health Laboratory Services ( PHLS ) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Services ( CLIS ) units with the titles Laboratory Technicians , Medical Technologists , Microbiologists , Research Scientists and Clinical Laboratory Evaluators ; 67 staff gave complete responses to both surveys . A poster with data from the Quality Assurance TNA was presented at the 2020 APHL meeting . Subsequently a thirteen module Quality Assurance online course was developed and a pilot study is underway . The Basic Molecular Methods survey results revealed most participants perceived a need for full or refresher training on all Skills and Knowledge objectives measured . This indicates that the learning objectives identified by Subject Matter Experts for inclusion in a training program were of value to survey participants . Following the model used for development of the Quality Assurance course , a hybrid curriculum will be developed by integrating existing training resources with inhouse developed modules . As sequencing technologies evolve , a reassessment of the NGS and bioinformatics surveys created for administration to a select group within the laboratory is being conducted . A broader application is under consideration .
Presenter : Tiffany Frez , New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories , tiffany . frez @ doh . nj . gov
Workforce Development