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Glossary of Terms
academic information
See education history.
The highest level of formal education attained by a person; typical values are: primary level; secondary level; college; university/graduate school. Also education level
agent
See facility agent.
ambulatory facility
A health care facility that does not have beds, including free-standing specialty clinics, health centers without beds, maternal and child health centers, health posts and aide posts.
A person who has applied for an open position. Also job applicant
application
The official submission of a form to apply for a job, take the national exam or become registered as a health professional.
assumption
See pool change.
attrition
The loss of health workers from the workforce due to any reason.
attrition rate
The expected average annual rate of attrition expressed as a percentage of the total workforce; the attrition rate may be due to death and illness or to other reasons.
band
See salary grade.
base projection
A graph comparing changes in available human resources over time with required resources. This graph demonstrates the results if no interventions are applied and visually represents the gap between human resources supply and demand.
base year
See starting year.
baseline
See starting year.
A payment made to an employee that is separate from the employee's salary; the payment may be one-time or recurring. Also special payment
birthplace
The country, district and/or county where a person was born.
B-Y
See starting year.
A broad category or subset of health workers characterized by the specific training, degree or other qualifications required to practice or be licensed in that field (i.e., Nurse). Also health cadre, occupational category
cadre pool
A pool of health workers, typically in one cadre, to which assumptions are applied in a workforce projection.
Certifies that a particular academic level has been achieved; typical values are: certificate of primary education; ordinary level certificate; advanced level certificate; certificate; diploma; bachelor's degree; master's degree; PhD. Also classification, degree, diploma
change date
The date when an employee moves from one position to another as the result of a transfer or promotion.
citizenship
See nationality.
One instance of a training program that takes place on a specific date at a specific site; there may be multiple classes for one training program. Also training class
classification
See certificate.
A position within an organization that has been filled by an employee; when a position is marked closed, the organization is not actively hiring for the position. Also filled position
CME
See continuing education.
competency
A skill performed to a specific standard under specific conditions.
competency model
A collection of competencies that together define successful performance in a particular work setting.
competency type
A broad category of related competencies.
contact information
Mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and similar information for a person.
Credit hours required for a health care worker to renew his/her license while practicing. Also CME, continuing medical education, continuing professional development, CPD
continuing medical education
See continuing education.
continuing professional development
See continuing education.
continuing students
The total number of students who continue in a multi-year training program, i.e., do not discontinue training or graduate.
The smallest geographic subset, typically located within a district; equivalent to a sector. Also sector
course
See training program.
CPD
See continuing education.
The number of credits a person receives for taking a continuing education course. Also hours
current position
The position that an employee currently holds with an organization.
The address or country, district and county where a person is currently living; this may be different than the person's home residence. Also residence
degree
See certificate.
demographic information
Statistical information about a person, such as marital status, gender, birth date, and dependents.
department
A division within an organization, typically around similar job functions and following supervisory lines.
dependent
A legal spouse or child of an employee.
deploy
To move an employee into a particular position at a particular location.
deployment
The process of being employed in a health facility as a licensed health care worker.
deployment date
See hiring date.
deployment history
A history of all positions a health professional has held.
designation
See job.
diploma
See certificate.
A warning or notice issued to a health professional or employee as a result of an infraction. Also disciplinary notice
disciplinary notice
See disciplinary action.
An interruption in a training program. Also disruption, training disruption
discontinued position
A position that is no longer required by an organization; no employee fills it and the organization is not soliciting applications for the position.
disruption
See discontinuation.
A smaller geographic unit within a region created by the central government for easy administration; equivalent to a state or a province. Also province, state
duty station
See facility.
Information about a person's academic history and qualifications, or a history of all diplomas, degrees, certificates and other educational qualifications obtained by a person. Also academic information, education information
education information
See education history.
education level
See academic level.
education type
The type of qualification or certificate/degree that a person has received, such as college/university, continuing education or informal.
effective date
The date when something, such as a salary change, officially takes effect.
employee
A person who is paid by an employer to perform a specific job.
employer
See organization.
employment history
A history of all jobs held by a person, including the company name and salary history.
end date
The date at which an employee leaves a position; also the date at which a license expires.
ending position
The last position that an employee holds with an organization.
The salary that an employee is earning when s/he leaves an organization. Also ending wage.
ending wage
See ending salary.
endorser
A person who recommends a student graduating from a training program to take the national examination.
enrollment
The total number of students enrolled in a training program (including new students plus students who are re-enrolling).
exam
See examination.
exam number
See examination number.
A test that every student graduating from a health training program must qualify for, take and pass in order to qualify for registration. Also exam, final exam, national exam
The number issued to a student who has applied to take the national exam and has been verified as qualifying to take the exam. Also exam number
A specific division within an organization that is defined by having its own budget and often has a unique facility code. Often a facility is responsible for providing health care services. Also duty station, health facility, office, responsibility center
The owner of a health facility or training institution, which also refers to the classification of the facility; typical values are: government; mission; private. Also agent
facility status
The status of a facility as either open or closed.
facility type
A type of health facility; typical values are: dispensary; domiciliary; health unit; hospital.
filled position
See closed position.
final exam
See examination.
foreign-trained health worker
A health worker who received training outside the country and has applied to practice inside the country.
FTE
See full-time equivalent.
The equivalent of one full-time staff person, i.e., two half-time staff equal one full-time equivalent. Also FTE
geographical location
Refers to any geographical division, such as a country, region, district, state, province, county or sector.
grade
The assessment attained at an academic level, which determines whether a student has met the minimum requirements to attend a training institution.
graduation
Official completion of a training program.
health cadre
See cadre.
health facility
See facility.
hire
To fill an open position.
The date on which an open position is filled. Also deployment date
hiring decision
The official decision whether to offer a job to an applicant.
The address or geographical location where a person permanently lives. Also permanent address
hospital
A bedded facility that may also provide ambulatory care; includes health centers with beds, mental hospitals and specialized acute care hospitals.
hours
See credit hours.
HRH strategic plan
The overall plan, which includes the workforce plan, to improve the effectiveness of health professionals and support staff deliver health care services.
identification
Non-changing information (such as Social Security Number, national health insurance identification number or passport number) used to identify a person.
identification code
Unique code used to identify a facility or training institution.
in migration
The process of foreign-trained health workers immigrating into the country to practice.
index
See intake.
index number
The number issued to a student when s/he enters a new training program.
Data about an individual captured in that person's record; includes personal data such as name, nationality and demographic information. Also personal information
in-service training program
A training program that is completed while the worker is an employee of an organization, usually to update skills or gain new competencies.
inspection
The process of certifying that health facility, private practice clinic or training institution is qualified to provide services.
The process of entering a training program. Also an increase in the supply of health workers. Also index
intermediate projection years
Any years before the target year for which projections are desired.
intervention
An action modeled against human resources data and influences, with the intention of closing the gap between available human resources and human resource needs over time. Examples include instituting a recruitment program, changing the retirement age and increasing incentives to work in high-need areas.
intervention template
A set of interventions that are applied collectively to a pool of human resources.
ISCO classification code
A general set of qualifications, duties and responsibilities that matches a particular job description and has a unique job code. There may be multiple instances of the same job within an organization. Also designation, post
job applicant
See applicant.
job classification
A broad category used to organize jobs; the job classification may or may not be equivalent to the health cadre.
A unique code that identifies a job classification, preferably a standard coding system established by the ISCO for classifying professions; may also be applied to health cadres. Also ISCO classification code
A unique code associated with a particular job that identifies that job for the organization. Also post code
job description
A written document that specifies the responsibilities, scope, duties and qualifications required to perform a particular job.
The label used to describe a job, or a specific set of duties and responsibilities. Also post title
language proficiency
A person's reading, writing and/or speaking ability in a foreign language.
license
Certification that a health worker is eligible to practice in a country. The license must be renewed regularly, and a separate license must be obtained for each cadre in which the health worker intends to practice.
license history
A history of all licenses a health professional has held to practice in a cadre.
license number
The number issued with a license to practice as a health worker; this number may or may not be identical to the registration number.
major
A person's primary field of study.
marital status
A person's legal status, such as: single; married; divorced; widowed.
midpoint
The average salary offered to new hires in a salary grade, which may not be equivalent to the true average of the salary range within that grade.
name history
The history of a person's name changes due to marriage or other reasons.
national exam
See examination.
The country where a person is a legal citizen. Also citizenship
need
See requirements.
occupational category
See cadre.
office
See facility.
old applicant
A person who previously applied for an open position, but who has not applied for any positions that are currently open.
old employee
A person who previously worked for an organization but has left the organization.
A specific position within an organization that is required for the organization to operate and that the organization is actively hiring to fill. Also vacancy
An employing institution, such as a company, government or nonprofit. Also employer
organizational chart
A report that visually displays the supervisory structure of an organization by linking supervisors to their supervisees, usually using boxes and connecting lines, with supervisors above their supervisees.
out migration
The process of a health worker leaving the country where s/he was trained in order to practice in a foreign country.
password
A hidden phrase that provides secure access to the system.
permanent address
See home residence.
personal information
A well-informed estimate about future changes to the workforce that are used to project workforce supply each year following the starting year in a projection. Also assumption
population growth rate
The percentage by which the population of an area will grow annually.
position
An instance of a job that can be filled by one employee in one facility and represents one box on an organizational chart. There may be multiple positions for one job in one organization.
position description
A supplement to the job description that describes the duties of one specific position in the organization.
position history
A record of all positions an employee has held with the organization.
position status
The status of a position as open, closed or discontinued.
position title
A specific title different from the job title that defines one particular position within an organization.
position type
A classification of a type of position, such as temporary, permanent, consultant, seconded, etc.
post
See job.
post code
See job code.
post date
The date a position is opened for hiring.
post title
See job title.
practice type
The type of registration issued to a health worker, generally temporary or permanent.
pre-service trainee loss rate
The expected average percentage of training intake not expected to be available for service due to failure to complete training, expressed as a percentage of the total intake.
pre-service training
A training program that is completed before a health worker enters employment, usually to obtain necessary qualifications to practice, such as a degree or certificate.
private practice license
An additional license issued to a health worker who has applied to practice in a private clinic.
projection
Calculation of the supply of the health workforce and required health workers over time based on workforce data and assumptions made about future changes to the health workforce; the projection generally compares the supply to the requirements and may include graphs showing the effects of interventions in closing the gap between the two.
promotion
A move by an employee from one position to another at a higher level or salary grade within the organization, often with a corresponding pay raise.
proposed end date
Date at which funding or the role for a position is tentatively scheduled to end, as distinguished from the end date.
proposed salary
The salary that is proposed for an open position before it has been filled; does not refer to the actual salary for the position.
province
See district.
qualification
A competency, educational level or training that a person must have in order to perform a particular job or to be certified in a specialty of a cadre.
record
Collection of all data about one person stored in the system.
region
A major subdivision of a country containing districts.
registration
The process of applying for and being licensed to practice professionally in a country.
registration number
A number that is issued when a health worker enters the profession within a particular cadre; the health worker retains the registration number as the primary identification number as long as s/he is licensed to practice in that cadre in the country.
reinstatement
The process of reissuing a license to a health professional after a suspension due to a disciplinary action.
renew
The process of reapplying for a license and receiving a valid extension of the license for a period of time; often, a health professional is required to receive a specific number of continuing education credit hours before qualifying for license renewal.
report
Display of data from the system as a table or graphical chart; typically, filters can be set on a report to determine the range of data displayed.
The number of health workers necessary to meet the health service need. Also need
requirements model
The model, or formula, used to project workforce requirements in future years; the model may be based on need, demand, targets or ratios.
residence
See current residence.
resource
A human resource.
responsibility center
See facility.
resumption
The process of returning to a training program that was previously discontinued.
retirement
The point at which a worker permanently leaves the workforce, usually due to reaching retirement age.
retirement age
The nationally standardized age at which workers are expected or required to retire; in some countries, workers may receive a pension or other benefits upon reaching retirement age.
retirement rate
The expected average annual rate of retirement upon reaching retirement age expressed as a percentage of the total workforce.
role
Determines the activities that a user can perform within the system.
salary
The amount an employee is paid per year for a particular job.
salary band
See salary grade.
Defines pay ranges for one or more jobs. Also band, salary band
salary history
A record of an employee's past and current pay.
A monetary source for an employee's salary. Also source
scholarship
A monetary award given so that a person may defray the costs of a pre-service or in-service training program.
secondary school
The school attended before entering a training institution, college or university.
sector
See county.
skill
Specific knowledge or proficiency required to perform a particular job task.
source
See salary source.
special payment
See benefit.
A field in which an employee has acquired a great deal of expertise through educational training and/or on-the-job experience. Also specialty
specialty
See specialization.
start date
The date at which an employee starts working in a position. Also refers to the date that a license is issued.
starting position
The first position that an employee holds with an organization.
The salary that an employee earns when s/he first joins an organization. Also starting wage
starting wage
See starting salary.
The year in which a projection of the health workforce begins, for which there is known workforce data. Also base year, baseline, B-Y
state
See district.
A position that manages one or more employees of a lower grade. Also supervisory position
supervisory position
See supervisor.
supply
The actual number of health workers available for deployment, calculated by adding the current stock to the an estimate of the number and types of staff who will be available in the future.
supply model
surname
Family name or last name.
suspension
A disciplinary action in which a health professional's license is revoked.
target
A goal or proposed outcome for health workforce plans or projections, such as to meet a specific need or staff up to a certain level, usually expressed in text.
The year in which a projection of the health workforce ends, usually 5-30 years after the base year. Also T-Y
trainer
A person who has been assessed competent in training and in the skills s/he is teaching and who is conducting training programs.
training
Refers to pre-service schooling to become qualified to practice as a health worker as well as to in-service training to upgrade or add to professional qualifications.
training class
See class.
training disruption
See discontinuation.
training funder
An organization that funds and sponsors in-service training programs.
training history
A history of training programs that an employee has requested or completed while employed by the organization.
training institution
A school that offers one or more programs to train health workers.
A course offered by a training institution that, when completed, qualifies a person to be registered or licensed in a particular cadre. May also refer to an in-service program that enables an employee to gain a new competency needed for a job while employed. Also course
transfer
A move by an employee from one position to another at an equal level or salary grade but usually located within a different department, facility or geographical location.
T-Y
See target year.
upgrade
The process of returning to a training program to qualify for registration in a new cadre.
username
Name used to log in to the system.
vacancy
See open position.
verification
The process of verifying a student's qualifications before s/he is registered or verifying a health worker's qualifications who is applying for out migration.
workforce planning
A longer-term process (5 to 20 years) to determine the policies and strategies to balance supply and demand in order to have the staff in place to deliver the agreed-upon level of health care services.
The model, or formula, used to project workforce supply in future years based on the current supply of health workers plus projected new workers minus projected losses.