Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Succession Planning and Management Practice in Washington State Local Public Health Agencies
John M Wiesman1, Suzanne M Babich, Karl Umble
1Washington State Department of Health, Olympia (Dr Wiesman); Health Policy and Management, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana (Dr Babich); and Health Policy and Management, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Drs Umble and Baker).
Context:
Turnover of top local public health officials is expected to be great, with 23% being 60 years of age or older, and another 42% being 50 to 59 years of age. Yet, we know little about the use of succession planning in public health agencies.
Objective:
Describe succession planning practices in local public health agencies.
Design:
We conducted a Web-based, cross-sectional survey of succession planning practices and followed the career paths of public health officials for 40 months.
Setting And Participants:
The top local public health officials from Washington State's 35 local governmental public health agencies.
Main Outcome Measures:
Twenty-five succession planning best practices.
Results:
All 35 agencies responded, resulting in a 100% response rate. Our study found evidence of succession planning practices in Washington State local public health agencies: 85% of agencies selected high-performing high potential employees for development, 76% sent them to formal technical and management/leadership training, 70% used cross-functional team projects, and 67% used stretch assignments to develop their employees. Impetuses to implement succession planning were discovering that large percentages of employees were able to retire soon and that national accreditation requires workforce development plans. Barriers to implementing succession planning included other competing demands for time, belief that the agency's workforce was too small for a formal program, and concerns that there would be union barriers. In 2012, 50% of the officials surveyed said that it would be at least possible that they would leave their current jobs within 5 years. Forty months later, 12 (34%) had left their positions.
Conclusions:
We were encouraged by the level of succession planning in Washington State and recommend creating a greater sense of urgency by focusing on agency retirement profiles and emphasizing the need for workforce development plans for accreditation. Developing the public health leaders of tomorrow is too important to be left to chance.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Healthcare Agencies II
Parish nursing is a growing specialty nursing profession that focuses on holistic healthcare, health promotion, and illness prevention. It blends professional nursing practice with a health ministry, focusing on health and healing within the context of a Christian community. Parish nurses serve as health educators, referral sources,...
01:26Principles of Disease Surveillance
01:28International Nursing Organizations II
The WHO provides expert team support, including funding, vaccines, testing, and treatment tools at the country level to fight...
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:21Planning Nursing Care I