Use of Job Classifications, Career Ladders, and the Applied Epidemiology Competencies to Support Recruitment, Retention, and Practice of State Health Department Epidemiologists.

Context: State health departments report that recruitment and retention of qualified epidemiologists is a significant challenge to ensuring epidemiology capacity to support essential public health services.

Objective: To collect information on the use of epidemiology job classifications, career ladders, and professional competencies in state health departments to inform workforce development activities that improve epidemiology capacity.

Design: Electronic survey of the designated state epidemiologist.

Setting: Fifty state health departments and the District of Columbia.

Participants: State epidemiologists working in state health departments.

Main Outcome Measures: Use and perceived benefit of epidemiology job classifications, career ladders, and professional competencies.

Results: All 50 states and the District of Columbia responded to the survey. Most state health departments reported having epidemiology-specific job classifications (n = 44, 90%) and career ladders (n = 36, 71%) in place. State epidemiologists strongly agreed or agreed that having an epidemiology-specific classification positively contributed to recruitment (n = 37, 84%) and retention (n = 29, 66%) of epidemiologists in their agency. State epidemiologists strongly agreed or agreed that having an epidemiology-specific career ladder positively contributed to recruitment (n = 24, 69%) and retention (n = 23, 66%) of epidemiologists in their agency. Only 10 (29%) state epidemiologists reported using the applied epidemiology competencies to develop or revise their jurisdiction's epidemiology career ladder.

Conclusions: State health departments should implement well-maintained epidemiology-specific job classifications and career ladders that are based on current epidemiology competencies. Career ladders should be supported with opportunities for competency-based training to support career progression.