A great day at work for me includes connecting with experts or community members and learning about challenges and potential solutions related to big public health issues like access to safe drinking water. I review articles published in health journals and summarize information for reports and presentations. I also help plan meetings designed to share lessons learned in the field by public health practitioners.
CAREER
Health Education Specialists
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$60,600
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+7.6% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Health Education Specialists 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.
Other Job Titles Health Education Specialists May Have
Clinical Instructor, Health Education Specialist, Health Educator, Public Health Educator
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
I typically work in a clinic or out of a mobile van and test people for HIV and STDs. I talk with clients about their risk factors and work with them to come up with ways they could protect themselves from sexually transmitted disease. I perform the testing and interpret results and discuss their results with them.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- 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.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Health Education Specialists
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Associate's degree (62%)
High school diploma or equivalent
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Bachelor
Public Health, General
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Public Health, General
Graduate
Epidemiology
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
Important skills for my work include the ability to review, understand, synthesize, and present complex health information. The ability to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds is critical to success in the field of public health. Equity, diversity, and inclusion training is recommended. Lastly, given the dynamic nature of health work, it helps to be able to quickly change gears and adapt to new environments. Working directly with health service providers is a valuable experience.
I volunteered at an HIV non profit for 4 years and that definitely helped open the door to this job. Working with diverse communities and learning Spanish have helped me a lot here.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
Get involved by volunteering at local organizations that have public health at the core of their mission. Doing so will help you connect with professionals providing direct service to the community - those folks can serve as mentors in your professional and educational development.
Everyone
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
