Health Educators

Health educators work to improve and maintain health among individuals and communities by providing health education programs.  They assess the health education needs of a community, plan, implement and present programs to achieve health education objectives.

Health educators are responsible for informing and organizing civic organizations in order to address pressing health issues that affect the community like STDs, unwanted pregnancies, substance abuse and proper nutrition.  They must also be able to produce newsletters, bulletins, health education material, reports and proposals.  

Health educators may specialize in dealing with certain groups of people, like mothers-to-be, cancer patients or school children. They may also choose to focus on specific fields such as public health, clinical health, school health, community health, and industrial health.  Whatever field of specialization, the objective of the health educator is to promote healthy lifestyle and prevent disease through knowledge.

A public health educator works for county and government health organizations.  Other possible work environments include non-profit organizations, health research institutions, educational institutions, hospitals, community clinics and agencies.  
Individuals looking for a career in health education must possess a sincere desire to help others, must be able to work well with a variety of people and must have good written and oral communication skills.  A health educator must also have knowledge on therapy and counseling, and must be skilled in education and training.

Educational requirements for health educators include preparatory courses in high school.  Interested individuals must have background education in English, writing, public speaking, biology, algebra, behavioral science, social science and health and medical profession education.

The individual may secure a degree in public health, health education/promotion or community health and pass a written exam given by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc before he can be certified.  If interested, a Certified Health Education Specialist may take up a master’s degree in public health.  Certification and a master’s degree are not required although it is a must in order to advance in the field.

The health educator’s job outlook is projected to be very good. The United States Department of Labor predicts a high job market growth for health educators through the end of the decade. They believe that this growth is faster than other occupations over the same period. Health educators are greatly in demand due to the increasing importance of preventative health care.

Health educators earn between $24,000 and $69,000.  Education and work experience are huge determinants of a health educator’s salary.