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Competencies

The HSS competencies

As a health systems science student, it is important to understand what systems thinking is, why it is important to study and why it is necessary to understand the language relating to systems thinking.  Systems thinking, which is a core competency, is the ability to understand the complex and constantly changing health system and being able to apply acquired knowledge. to solve identified problems in the components that make up health systems. It is important because health systems need to be able to meet the needs of people interacting with it as well and be efficient and effective at enabling skilled workers to provide the care. By understanding the language of systems thinking problems and solutions are identified and communicated clearly and the health system is able to improve. The language also allows for understanding that can be helpful to stakeholders when trying to improve the health system, because a systems thinker is able to accurate identify problems.

There are eight core competencies in HSS, they are the following:

  • Systems Thinker

  • Communicator

  • Responsive Decision Maker

  • Manager

  • Collaborator

  • Scholar

  • Health advocate / change agent

  • Responsible leader

In HSS 1 and 2 I worked on these competencies, in HSS 3 there has been further improvement on these competencies. ​

21st Century Skills

According to Buckle (2020) "21st century skills refer to the knowledge, life skills, career skills, habits, and traits that are critically important to student success in today’s world, particularly as students move on to college, the workforce, and adult life."

These skills include:

  • Critical thinking

  • Communication skills

  • Creativity

  • Problem solving

  • Perseverance

  • Collaboration

  • Information literacy

  • Technology skills and digital literacy

For a more in-depth understanding kindly refer to the video's attached below.​

  • Media literacy

  • Global awareness

  • Self-direction

  • Social skills

  • Literacy skills

  • Civic literacy

  • Social responsibility

  • Innovation skillsThinking skills

Business Competencies

In business being aware and understanding your competencies is a precursor to succeeding in achieving a desired outcome and developing strategic ways to overcome weaknesses and threats.

Business competencies include but are not limited to:

  • Adaptability, creative thinking, and innovation: Adaptability is the ability respond to the changing demands in the market or from customers. Creative thinking aids efficient and effective problem-solving. Innovation is the creation of new products and services that open the business to new customers and opportunities deliver better services to existing customers. 

  • Customer experience: Understanding and being responsive to the needs of the customer along with meeting the expectations that they hold for you business.

  • Consistency and reliability: The services and products offered by the business are always to the high standard set by the business and fulfill the promises that customers are told when they utilise the service or product. 

  • Unique and empowering company culture: Employees of the company have access to the necessary resources to meet company outcomes and competent leadership who aid this process. 

  • Partnership with industry leaders: Insights and expertise of industry leaders leads to the improvement of services and products as well as creative problem solving. 

Research Competencies

These competencies are often found in researchers who have the ability to effectively research problems and phenomena they have identified in their respective fields of study. According to López (2022) these include but are not limited to:

  1. The ability to state a research problem: start from what is known and move to what is desired to be known.

  2. Know how to elaborate a contextual framework: analyse how the stated problem occurs within a whole and in the context you want to research.

  3. Examine the state of the art: review what is already known about the defined problem in the literature in order to aid the search for new knowledge. Each part of the problem must be studied separately.

  4. Prepare and validate data collection instruments: while considering the objective of the study, define the type of research best suited to it, the instrument(s) to be used, and the individuals who will validate and answer them.

  5. Build a research model: once you have visualised the problem or event to be researched, establish the process you will follow to analyse it and achieve the study objectives.

  6. Know how to analyse the data obtained: recognise that different techniques are available to process the results, which are linked to the type of research and the scale used in the data collection instruments.

  7. Know how to write scientific articles: any professional researcher must learn the citation styles: MLA (for literature), CBE (for basic sciences) and APA (for social sciences). Write briefly and concisely and use the IMRaD structure (introduction, method, results and discussion) to present your work.

IT competencies

It is the ability to "use computers and software for tasks like word processing, presenting, research, retrieval and storage of information and for communicating, including social media". I believe that I posses this competency because I am able to navigate Microsoft applications such as PowerPoint easily, knowledgeable on how to use various social media platforms and have the ability to quickly adapt to new technology.   

Writing competencies

Academic writing skills, which are cultivated while composing essays for college or university, have practical applications in the workplace. Effective academic writing entails expressing ideas clearly and concisely, as well as presenting arguments logically and persuasively. These adaptable skills are sought after by employers for various tasks.

  • Time management

  • Research

  • Developing an argument

  • Using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling

  • Knowing your audience

  • Organisation and structure

  • Writing clearly and consistently

For an in-depth understanding of each writing competency listed above, please refer to the following article:

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Presentation Skills

There are two video that helped me to identify skills that are needed for a good presentation. The first one is by a YouTube channel called Practical Psychology, in their video the following seven skills are identified:

  1. Know your audience

  2. Use structures to build on ideas

  3. Use visuals

  4. Repetition is your friend

  5. Have a story to tell

  6. Be relatable

  7. Build your confidence with practice ​

The second video is a TEDx Talk by David JP Phillips, what I learned is:

  1. One message per slide: Helps the audience to be able to focus on the message you are giving instead of distracted by the others.

  2. Redundancy effect:  Do not speak what is on the slides. Rather use visual aids and summaries on the slides.

  3.  The most important part of your presentation should either be big or have high contrast or movement or signaling colours.

  4. Choose a presentation colour that does not take away the audience attention from you.

  5. Audiences can only focus on five to six objects per slide.

  6. The amount of slides is never the problem it is the amount of objects per slide which discourages the audience from paying attention.

References:

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