The Core Competencies for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

The Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group commissioned the development of core competencies that define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for all providers of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. This article describes the background and rationale for this set of competencies, the history and use of competencies, and the process involved in creating the core competencies. It explores the ways that educators can use them to strengthen classroom instruction and improve outcomes for adolescents in the area of reproductive health. Several additional tools that guide the application of the competencies to human resources, self-assessment, performance assessment, professional development, and program evaluation are described.