The indicator number of FTEs by job category is defined as the number of FTE positions in 2007 in each of the following professional job categories: public health nurse, registered nurse, registered practical nurse, nurse practitioner, public health inspector, dentist, dental hygienist/dental assistant, health promoter, dietitian/public health nutritionist, speech-language pathologist, epidemiologist, heart health coordinator and librarian.

Information on the number of staff positions in specific job categories provides context for understanding current human resource capacities in terms of the range and size of staff complements of boards of health. Information was collected on the number of FTE positions in these selected job categories because of the persistent concerns within the sector regarding the potential for gaps in human resource capacity in these professional job categories, and the need to establish context for consideration of this issue.

The table below indicates that the single most common job category in public health units is public health nurse. All 36 public health units also have public health inspectors, dental hygienists/dental assistants and dietitians/public health nutritionists, and almost all have health promoters (33 public health units) and epidemiologists (35 public health units).

Less than half of public health units employ librarians (17 public health units) and speech-language pathologists (12 public health units). Information on the remaining job categories that were included in the board of health survey but not shown in the table below is available in Table 2: Indicators by Public Health Unit.

Definition:

Indicates the number of full time equivalent (FTE) positions in 2007 in each of the following specified professional job categories. FTE is defined by local board of health HR policies.

1. Public Health Nurse
2. Registered Nurse
3. Registered Practical Nurse
4. Nurse Practitioner
5. Public Health Inspector
6. Dentist
7. Dental Hygienist/Dental Assistant
8. Health Promoter
9. Dietitian/Public Health Nutritionist
10. Speech-Language Pathologist
11. Epidemiologist
12. Heart Health Coordinator
13. Librarian

Data Source(s):

Survey of boards of health, 2008

Formula:

Number of FTEs per professional job category

Notes:

• Indicator does not cover all job categories within a board of health; a decision was made to collect data on direct service job categories of interest in relation to assessing local service capacity
• The number of FTEs does not necessarily reflect the number of staff working in these positions due to job sharing or part-time work
• Differences in local use of job titles may result in under-reporting or inconsistencies between categories
• Managers were excluded from this reporting, which may affect reporting on capacity where managers also work directly in programs