Personnel

Table of Contents

Local Agency New Employee Orientation

Refer to your human resource director and WIC policy "Local Agency Personnel Training" for guidance on minimum local agency orientation requirements.

New Employee Focus Training

Complete Focus Training and Homework

WIC staff must complete Data System Training before being granted security rights to the data system production system. To schedule Focus training, WIC coordinators need to send a New User Form to wichd@idph.iowa.gov to schedule a three-hour training with the state office. The New User Form and additional information can be found on the Focus Security tab. Additional on-the-job training must be provided by someone with equal security rights.

New Employee Training Course (NETC)

Links and resources to the required training activities can be found here. The Iowa WIC Program requires all training activities to be successfully completed and documented according to the instructions in policies. Completed training must be documented in the "Staff Training" panel in the WIC Data System.

Modules, Online Courses and Activities

Level 1

Level 1 NETC Modules will help build a common knowledge base about program operations while emphasizing a team approach. Level 1 modules need to be completed within one month of hire for all required staff. At the conclusion of each module, the online post-test is required.

Level 2

Level 2 NETC Modules address nutrition and breastfeeding topics, discuss the normal nutritional needs for participants and identify resources for use in providing nutrition services. Level 2 modules need to be completed within six months of hire for CPAs, Non-CPA professionals, Health Professional Lead Staff and WIC coordinators. At the conclusion of each module, an online post-test is required.

Note: Post-tests are to be taken after you have finished reading the corresponding module. Once you finish the test and click submit you will get a pop-up box. Click on "View Score" and review your answers.  If you answered any questions incorrectly you will want to close out of the review and go back to the pop-up box and click on "Edit Your Response." Review those parts of the policy/module again that you missed and correct those answers before submitting them again. After you have corrected your test and resubmitted your response you can close out and proceed to the next step in your New Employee Training.

Level 3

Level 3 NETC Modules address how staff can engage the participant in dialogue about their needs and goals of healthy behavior. This process is critical in meeting the nutrition education goals of WIC. Level 3 modules need to be completed within nine months of hire for CPAs, Non-CPA professionals, Health Professional Lead Staff and WIC coordinators. The module is interactive, answers within the slide show are recorded and must be completed including the request for feedback at the end. To play audio click on the headphones icon on the bottom right-hand side of the slides and then select the play button.

Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets are not meant to replace policies, procedures, or training but are meant to provide key points and some of the most important points of those areas in one document that staff can easily access. 

Additional New Employee Training

Bloodborne Pathogen Training

All employees at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens must take this training within the first month of employment and annually thereafter. See Blood Tests Policy and Local Agency Personnel Training Policy for additional information about the required training.

Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Training

Mandatory child and dependent adult abuse reporters include nurses and dietitians. See the Local Agency Personnel Training Policy for additional information about this required training.

Civil Rights

All personnel should complete the Civil Rights Training during New Employee Orientation and then annually thereafter. Upon completion of the training, remember to record it on your Staff Training Panel in the WIC Data System.

Local Agency WIC Coordinator Training

Training requirements for new WIC Coordinators are outlined in the Local Agency Personnel Training Policy.

USDA WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum

This training developed by USDA is required for all WIC staff to enhance breastfeeding promotion and support in the WIC Program. All staff are required to complete level 1 of the training within the first month of hire. Levels 2 through 4 are to be completed within 6 months of hire. See the Local Agency Personnel Training policy for more information about which staff types are required to take which levels of the training.

This training is accessed using the Workday learning management platform. The below documents provide information on how to create a Workday External User account and how to access the curriculum on Workday.

WICHealth Academy

WICHealth Academy is an online training designed to help you learn how to use, promote and integrate wichealth.org into your daily clinic workflow. The entire training consists of nine courses which contain 26 lessons in all, and would take about one hour and 50 minutes to complete in its entirety. (You can start and stop it as needed and come back to it.) This training can be found on the wichealth.org support site. www.wichealth.org/support You will need a staff account to complete the training. 

To obtain a staff account with WICHealth, you will need to email: help@wichealth.org with your first and last name, email address, state, agency and clinic. Once your request has been approved, they will send you an invitation to create your account and then you can start the training. Below you will find the required form to use when completing the training. The form lists the required courses according to staff role along with any additional requirements.  Upon completion obtain your supervisor's signature and file with your other training records.

Additional WIChealth Resources


WIC Program: Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027 (https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf), found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: 

  1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
  2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
  3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.