The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is performing a job task analysis (JTA) for disease intervention (DI) professionals. The JTA is a survey and demographic questionnaire that will be sent via email to DI professionals to gather information about the tasks they perform regularly. The JTA survey instrument will ask DI professionals to rank the importance of each task and how frequently each task is performed. The results of the JTA will inform the development of Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) certification exam, exam preparatory materials, training programs, and national job standards. 

The purpose of the JTA survey is to identify the day-to-day tasks that DI professionals perform on the job. The results of the JTA will inform the development of DI core competencies as well as the CDI certification exam, exam preparatory materials, training programs, and national job standards. Survey responses help ensure that the CDI certification program and national professional standards are accurate, relevant, and reflective of the work performed in disease intervention. 

The survey is only open to professionals working in disease intervention roles. These professionals may work in federal, state, territorial, local, and Tribal health departments as well as non-profit and clinical settings. They are professionals with applied expertise in preventing the spread of infectious disease at the community level by delivering a comprehensive array of client-centered services necessary to provide equitable access to recommended testing, treatment, and prevention resources. These professionals apply their investigation and communication skills to collect surveillance and community health data, conduct client interviews, provide education, motivate change, and gain the cooperation of others to identify, locate, and inform people who are at risk of infection. Other disease intervention activities often include contact tracing (sometimes called partner services); field investigation and other field-based activities, including specimen collection, directly observed therapy, and community engagement and outreach; counseling, case analysis, collaboration, and engagement with medical providers; and navigation of healthcare systems to support patient evaluation and treatment. DI professionals most commonly work in sexually transmitted infections (STI), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and emerging infectious diseases. A wide variety of personnel classifications may conduct disease intervention activities, including other non-licensed (e.g., linkage to care coordinators) and licensed professionals (e.g., nurses, social workers). 

DI professionals are at the forefront of public health and their job role is critical to the health and safety of communities across the nation. Participating in the JTA survey will help capture the broad scope of tasks, knowledge and abilities and help to inform national professional standards. Participation in the JTA survey process helps ensure that the questions on the exam are an accurate reflection of the disease intervention field.  

The JTA survey instrument was developed by the CDI Job Task Analysis Committee comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs), experienced in disease intervention and prevention. The committee was also assigned to pilot the survey to determine how long it would take for them to complete it. The purpose of the pilot was to collect data electronically from committee members as to the day-to-day job tasks they complete, the frequency, and importance of each job task.

The job tasks listed within the JTA survey instrument have been grouped into six major categories called domains. The following six domains will be covered within the JTA survey instrument:  

• Planning and Case Analysis 
• Interviewing and Case Management Activities
• Field Services and Outreach Activities
• Surveillance and Data Collection
• Collaboration
• Outbreak Response and Emergency Preparedness

DI professionals who have provided us with their direct email address will receive a link to access the JTA survey instrument. If you are a DI professional or know one, please complete or share the CDI Learn More Form to be notified when the JTA survey instrument is released. 

The survey is designed to collect information about the job tasks performed by disease intervention professionals. The survey will not collect name, date of birth, phone number, email address, or other identifiable information. 

It will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete the JTA survey instrument. It is designed to allow respondents to save and return to complete it at their convenience. The JTA survey instrument is comprehensive to capture all possible tasks and skills required for the job of a disease intervention professional, which ensures that no critical job elements are missed. 

DI professionals are not expected to perform every job task listed within the JTA survey instrument as it is designed to collect data from a diverse group of disease intervention professionals and cover the full scope of the profession. If you rarely or never perform a task listed on the JTA survey instrument, only indicate how frequently you perform the task or rate its importance based on your professional judgment. 

Survey respondents that use the same device and web browser will be able to exit the survey and re-enter where they left off. Survey respondents may also complete the survey instrument in one sitting.

The JTA survey instrument will be open to respondents for approximately 2 months. 

The information collected from all survey respondents will be analyzed by NBPHE’s testing vendor Meazure Learning, Inc. and reviewed by NBPHE, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the CDI Job Task Analysis Committee. All survey information provided by respondents will be used and reported in aggregate. Individual responses are not reviewed. All survey data will be securely stored in compliance with applicable data protection standards, and strict confidentiality measures will be implemented to safeguard respondents’ information.  

The results of the job task analysis survey will be used to develop the content outline for the Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) certification exam being offered by NBPHE. The results will also enable the development of study prep materials for the CDI certification program, evaluate job competencies, and guide DI professional training and education. ASPPH will develop job descriptions for the disease intervention profession using the JTA results. NBPHE will publish white papers and articles on the aggregate survey results and administer the CDI certification exam.  

To learn more about the Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) certification program, visit NBPHE’s website at www.nbphe.org.