Health Education Specialists
The occupation Health Education Specialists covers people who provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. O*NET rates it as considerable preparation, which usually means a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience. It leans on writing, speaking, and active listening. Expect to prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns. With a code of SIC, this is mostly a job for people drawn to helping, teaching or caring for people. Investigative interests also help, rated 5.3 out of 7. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
What they do
Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Use data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May link health systems, health providers, insurers, and patients to address individual and population health needs. May serve as resource to assist individuals, other health professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.
Main tasks
- Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
- Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
- Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
- Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
- Develop and present health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
- Collaborate with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
Skills
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Learning
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
- You are comfortable relying on writing and speaking.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
- You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Certified Diabetes Educator
- Clinical Instructor
- Community Health Consultant
- Education Coordinator
- Health Education Coordinator
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.