Applying the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project Model to Health Education

A brief overview of the six-year National Health Educator Competencies Update Project (CUP) research is provided as an introduction to a discussion of applications of the resulting CUP Hierarchical Model. Considerations for application of the model to the professional preparation, credentialing and professional development of health educators are explored. In addition, examples of the applicability of the CUP Hierarchical Model to three different work settings are presented at the Entry, Advanced 1, and Advanced 2 levels of professional practice. The benefits of being guided by a validated practice model are discussed with implications for future research endeavors.