NAQC staff, with the support of the Advisory Council and the Sustainability Workgroup, developed an online self-assessment form encompassing nine competency areas for quitline administrators. Completing this form will help us identify opportunities for training and technical assistance that could benefit your practice and enhance quitline delivery across the nation. We will also use responses to provide you with resources to enhance your knowledge, skills, and abilities as a quitline administrator in the future. Please note that the information you provide will be kept confidential and shared only with you. This Group was established to assist in developing and facilitating training opportunities to improve competencies. 

Members of the Group
Quitline administrators engage in activities that draw on their competencies,  knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate competency in their role. The person most responsible for administering the quitline program for the state engages in activities demonstrating proficiency, however some activities may be delegated to other roles within the commercial tobacco control program. For example, a state program may have assigned community engagement tasks to a specific role and communication about the quitline to another role. The quitline administrator may also oversee a contract with one or more external partners to engage in activities that demonstrate proficiency. As such, the administrator’s proficiency in a specific competency may reflect the ability to shape and guide the activities of the external partner. 

A quitline administrator has the duties of:

• Designing and implementing strategies to increase access to and reach of tobacco quitline services.
• Ensuring implementation of continuous quality improvement activities to increase quitline capacity.
• Sustaining quitline services through implementation of effective services, creation a supportive environment, and engagement of community partners.

Competency Areas
A quitline administrator demonstrates competencies (knowledge, skills, ability and behaviors) in the following categories:

• Cessation Knowledge
• Knowledge of Quitline Services
• Data for Decision Making
• Addressing Disparities 
• Quality Improvement
• Business Acumen
• Strategic Partnerships
• Policy Analysis
• Promotion

A quitline administrator may not directly perform tasks in each core competency category, but it is essential to have some level of proficiency to ensure the quitline is effectively increasing access, reaching target audiences, engaging participants, building capacity, and sustaining services.

Role, team size, and other factors will determine the level of proficiency needed to support a state's quitline program. When evaluating proficiency in each competency category, reflect on current abilities and identify areas for growth to meet both personal goals and the program's needs.
Note: A new administrator may begin by engaging in activities at the novice level for the first time (i.e., may not be able to demonstrate proficiency until some time into the role).