title: The challenge of competency assessment.
abstract: Regulatory agencies now require more than credentialing, quality assurance, and educational programs to prove that health care workers are competent. There is confusion over exactly what competency is and how we can assess it in an environment of strict cost restriction. This article presents an overview of the current situation and some techniques for assessing competencies. Emphasis is on clinical laboratory approaches.
authors.affiliation: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Umiker
mesh_terms: D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D058016:Health Facility Administration; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States