Table 2.
Public health workforce taxonomy
| Axis 1: Occupation |
| 1.1. Management and leadership |
| 1.1.1. Public health agency director |
| 1.1.2. Health officer |
| 1.1.3. Department or bureau director (subagency level) |
| 1.1.4. Deputy director |
| 1.1.5. Program director |
| 1.1.6. Public health manager or program manager |
| 1.1.7. Other management and leadership |
| 1.1.7.1. Coordinators |
| 1.1.7.2. Administrators |
| 1.2. Professional and scientific |
| 1.2.1. Behavioral health professional |
| 1.2.1.1. Behavioral counselor |
| 1.2.2. Emergency preparedness worker |
| 1.2.3. Environmentalist |
| 1.2.3.1. Sanitarian or inspector |
| 1.2.3.2. Engineer |
| 1.2.3.3. Technician |
| 1.2.4. Epidemiologist |
| 1.2.5. Health educator |
| 1.2.6. Information systems manager |
| 1.2.6.1. Public health informatics specialist |
| 1.2.6.2. Other informatics specialist |
| 1.2.6.3. Information technology specialist |
| 1.2.7. Laboratory worker |
| 1.2.7.1. Aide or assistant |
| 1.2.7.2. Technician |
| 1.2.7.3. Scientist or medical technologist |
| 1.2.8. Nurse |
| 1.2.8.1. Registered nurse unspecified |
| 1.2.8.1.1. Public health or community health nurse |
| 1.2.8.1.2. Other registered nurse (clinical services) |
| 1.2.8.2. Licensed practical or vocational nurse |
| 1.2.9. Nutritionist or dietitian |
| 1.2.10. Oral health professional |
| 1.2.10.1. Public health dentist |
| 1.2.10.2. Other oral health professional |
| 1.2.11. Physician |
| 1.2.11.1. Public health or preventive medicine physician |
| 1.2.11.2. Other physician |
| 1.2.12. Medical examiner |
| 1.2.13. Physician assistant |
| 1.2.14. Public information specialist |
| 1.2.15. Social worker |
| 1.2.15.1. Social services counselor |
| 1.2.16. Statistician |
| 1.2.17. Veterinarian |
| 1.2.17.1. Public health veterinarian |
| 1.2.17.2. Other veterinarian |
| 1.2.18. Other professional and scientific |
| 1.2.19. Student professional and scientific |
| 1.3. Technical and outreach |
| 1.3.1. Animal control worker |
| 1.3.2. Community health worker |
| 1.3.3. Home health worker |
| 1.3.4. Other technical and outreach |
| 1.4. Support services |
| 1.4.1. Clerical personnel |
| 1.4.1.1. Administrative assistant |
| 1.4.1.2. Secretary |
| 1.4.2. Business support |
| 1.4.2.1. Accountant or fiscal |
| 1.4.2.2. Facilities or operations |
| 1.4.2.2.1. Custodian |
| 1.4.2.2.2. Other facilities or operations worker |
| 1.4.2.3. Grants or contracts specialist |
| 1.4.2.4. Human resources personnel |
| 1.4.2.5. Attorney or legal counsel |
| 1.4.3. Other business support services |
| 1.5. Other |
| Axis 2: Setting |
| 2.1. Local setting |
| 2.1.1. County health agency |
| 2.1.2. City or town health agency |
| 2.1.3. Multicity health agency |
| 2.1.4. Multicounty health agency |
| 2.1.5. Hospital or primary care clinic |
| 2.1.6. Other public health local agency |
| 2.1.7. School |
| 2.1.8. Other local health setting |
| 2.1.9. Other local setting, not health |
| 2.2. State setting |
| 2.2.1. State health agency—central office |
| 2.2.2. State health agency—local or regional office |
| 2.2.3. Inpatient or outpatient clinical setting |
| 2.2.4. Other state agency, not health |
| 2.3. Territorial health agency |
| 2.4. Federal health agency |
| 2.5. Tribal health agency |
| 2.6. Educational institution |
| 2.7. Private nonprofit organization |
| 2.8. Private foundation |
| 2.9. Personal health services industry |
| 2.10. Other private industry |
| Axis 3: Employer |
| 3.1. Local government |
| 3.2. Tribal government |
| 3.3. State government |
| 3.4. Federal government |
| 3.5. Nongovernment |
| Axis 4: Education |
| 4.1. Graduate degree |
| 4.1.1. Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) (or international equivalent) |
| 4.1.2. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) |
| 4.1.3. Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) |
| 4.1.4. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
| 4.1.5. Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Science (ScD), or other public health doctorate |
| 4.1.6. PhD, ScD, or other non–public health doctorate |
| 4.1.7. Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) |
| 4.1.8. Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) |
| 4.1.9. Master of Public Health (MPH) |
| 4.1.10. Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) |
| 4.1.11. Master of Social Work (MSW) |
| 4.1.12. Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) |
| 4.1.13. Master of Public Administration (MPA) |
| 4.1.14. Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) |
| 4.1.15. Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| 4.1.16. Other master’s degree |
| 4.2. Baccalaureate degree |
| 4.2.1. Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) |
| 4.2.2. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) |
| 4.2.3. Other baccalaureate degree |
| 4.3. Associate’s degree |
| 4.3.1. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) |
| 4.3.2. Other associate degree |
| 4.4. Other education |
| 4.4.1. High school or equivalent diploma |
| Axis 5: Licensure |
| 5.1. MD or DO License |
| 5.2. DDS or DMD License |
| 5.3. DVM License |
| 5.4. Registered Nurse (RN) License |
| 5.5. Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| 5.6. Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Licensed Master Social Worker |
| 5.7. Registered Sanitarian or Registered Environmental Health Specialist |
| 5.8. Licensed Registered Dietitian |
| 5.9. State licensure to practice laboratory science |
| 5.10. Other license |
| 5.11. Not currently licensed |
| Axis 6: Certification |
| 6.1. Physician certification |
| 6.1.1. Preventive Medicine Physician |
| 1.1.1.1. Public Health and General Preventive Medicine |
| 1.1.1.2. Specialty: Occupational Medicine |
| 1.1.1.3. Aerospace Medicine |
| 6.1.2. Other board-certified physician |
| 6.2. Nurse certification |
| 6.2.1. Certification: Advanced Public Health Nurse—Board-Certified |
| 6.2.2. Certification: Public or Community Health Clinical Nurse Specialist—Board-Certified |
| 6.2.3. Certification: Nurse Executive, RN—Board-Certified |
| 6.2.4. Certification: Nurse Executive, Advanced—Board-Certified |
| 6.2.5. Certification: Nurse Practitioner |
| 6.2.6. Certification: Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| 6.2.7. Certification: Registered Nurse Anesthetist |
| 6.2.8. Certification: Other |
| 6.3. Physician Assistant—Certified |
| 6.4. Certified in Public Health |
| 6.5. Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES or Master CHES) |
| 6.6. Laboratory certification |
| 6.6.1. National generalist certification |
| 6.6.2. National specialist certification |
| 6.7. Infection control certification |
| 6.8. Other certification |
| 6.9. Not formally certified |
| Axis 7: Job tasks |
| 7.1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems |
| 7.1.1. Conduct community assessments |
| 7.1.2. Develop surveillance procedures |
| 7.1.3. Report data to the county or state |
| 7.2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community |
| 7.2.1. Investigate health problems, including environmental health |
| 7.2.2. Obtain information, specimens, or samples |
| 7.3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health concerns |
| 7.3.1. Provide education to the public |
| 7.3.2. Interact with local or regional media |
| 7.3.3. Phone communication with the public |
| 7.3.4. Process requests from the public (for services, information, or appointments) |
| 7.4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems |
| 7.4.1. Develop community partnerships |
| 7.4.2. Represent the department at community meetings |
| 7.5. Serve on committees, boards, or task forces |
| 7.5.1. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts |
| 7.5.2. Develop public policy or regulations |
| 7.5.3. Plan public health programs |
| 7.5.4. Plan for emergencies |
| 7.5.5. Respond to emergencies |
| 7.6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety |
| 7.6.1. Enforce regulations |
| 7.6.2. Vector control |
| 7.6.3. Schedule services and inspections |
| 7.6.4. Conduct site visits, home visits, or inspections |
| 7.6.5. Issue permits |
| 7.7. Link clients to needed personal health services and ensure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable |
| 7.7.1. Register and enroll clients |
| 7.7.2. Deliver direct health services to clients |
| 7.7.3. Meet with clients for purposes other than delivering direct health services |
| 7.7.4. Review medical records |
| 7.7.5. Perform health or environmental screenings |
| 7.8. Ensure competent public and personal health care workforce |
| 7.8.1. Develop information and training materials |
| 7.8.2. Post or publish information for staff use |
| 7.9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services |
| 7.9.1. Evaluate program performance |
| 7.10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems |
| 7.10.1. Take part in public health research |
| 7.11. Organizational management and administration |
| 7.11.1. Manage files, prepare reports, or correspondence |
| 7.11.2. Manage inventory |
| 7.11.3. Manage personnel (e.g., recruit, schedule, train, or evaluate staff) |
| 7.11.4. Manage public health programs |
| 7.11.5. Supervise, plan, or distribute work to others |
| 7.11.6. Process billing, fees, and payments |
| 7.11.7. Financial management (including managing budgets) |
| 7.11.8. Prepare applications for external funding |
| 7.11.9. Manage contracts or service agreements |
| 7.11.10. Review facility operational plans |
| 7.11.11. Establish fees for public health services |
| Axis 8: Program area |
| 8.1. Communicable disease |
| 8.1.1. HIV |
| 8.1.2. Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) |
| 8.1.3. Tuberculosis (TB) |
| 8.1.4. Other communicable disease |
| 8.2. Noncommunicable disease |
| 8.3. Injury |
| 8.4. Environmental health |
| 8.5. Maternal and child health |
| 8.5.1. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) |
| 8.6. Clinical services (excluding TB, STD, and family planning) |
| 8.6.1. Immunizations |
| 8.7. Oral health or clinical dental services |
| 8.8. Administration or administrative support |
| 8.9. Mental health |
| 8.10. Substance abuse (includes tobacco control programs) |
| 8.11. Public health genetics |
| 8.12. Vital records |
| 8.13. Medical examiner |
| 8.14. Animal control |
| 8.15. Cross-cutting areas |
| 8.15.1. Emergency preparedness |
| 8.15.2. Epidemiology surveillance |
| 8.15.3. Program evaluation |
| 8.15.4. Health education |
| 8.15.5. Health promotion or wellness |
| 8.15.6. Community health assessment or planning |
| 8.15.7. Training or workforce development |
| 8.15.8. Global health |
| 8.16. Other program area |
| Axis 9: Public health specialization area or expertise |
| 9.1. Generalist |
| 9.2. Biostatistics |
| 9.3. Environmental health sciences |
| 9.4. Epidemiology |
| 9.5. Health management and policy |
| 9.6. Health behavior and health education |
| 9.7. Maternal and child health |
| 9.8. Emergency preparedness |
| 9.9. Informatics |
| 9.10. Global health |
| 9.11. Other |
| Axis 10: Funding source |
| 10.1. Local government |
| 10.2. Tribal government |
| 10.3. State government |
| 10.4. Federal government (not including Medicare or Medicaid) |
| 10.5. Fee for service |
| 10.5.1. Medicare or Medicaid payments for service |
| 10.5.2. Other clinical revenue (private insurers, fees from patients) |
| 10.5.3. Other fee for service or fines |
| 10.6. Private foundation |
| 10.7. Other sources |
| 10.8. Unpaid or no funding source |
| Axis 11: Condition of employment |
| 11.1. Full-time equivalent status |
| 11.1.1. Full-time |
| 11.1.2. Part-time |
| 11.2. Category of employment |
| 11.2.1. Regular employee |
| 11.2.2. Contracted employee |
| 11.3. Exemption status |
| 11.3.1. Exempt employee |
| 11.3.2. Nonexempt employee |
| 11.4. Temporality |
| 11.4.1. Permanent employee |
| 11.4.2. Temporary employee |
| 11.5. Other employment considerations |
| 11.5.1. Bargaining unit employee |
| 11.5.2. Postdegree fellow or fellowship |
| 11.5.3. Student or trainee |
| 11.5.4. Volunteer |
| Axis 12: Demographics |
| 12.1. Age |
| 12.2. Sex |
| 12.3. Race/ethnicity |