Health Educator

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A health educator could...

Overview Listen to this section

Have you ever heard the expression "Prevention is the best medicine"? Prevention is the fundamental work of all health educators. They attempt to prevent illnesses or diseases in individuals or entire communities through education about nutrition, exercise, or other habits and behaviors. Health educators present scientific information in ways that their audience can relate to, and are sensitive to cultural differences. They are the cornerstone of the public health system, improving health and saving thousands of lives by motivating changes in behavior.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Health Educator?

1. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
2. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
3. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
4. Learning Strategies: ? Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
5. Social Perceptiveness: ? Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

6. Active Learning: ? Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
7. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
8. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
9. Coordination: ? Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
10. Time Management: ? Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Health Educator might do:

• 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.
• Develop, conduct, or coordinate health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
• Supervise professional and technical staff in implementing health programs, objectives, and goals.
• Develop operational plans and policies necessary to achieve health education objectives and services.
• Provide program information to the public by preparing and presenting press releases, conducting media campaigns, or maintaining program-related Web sites.
• Develop and maintain health education libraries to provide resources for staff and community agencies.
• Design and conduct evaluations and diagnostic studies to assess the quality and performance of health education programs.
• Develop, prepare, and coordinate grant applications and grant-related activities to obtain funding for health education programs and related work.
• Provide guidance to agencies and organizations on assessment of health education needs and on development and delivery of health education programs.
• Design and administer training programs for new employees and continuing education for existing employees.