Become a Health Educator
As a health educator you're responsible for teaching people, either individually or in groups, about living a healthier lifestyle and preventing medical conditions. For instance, you may teach teenagers how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or communities about eating healthier. Working as a health educator requires good communication skills and the ability to create documents such as brochures and pamphlets. However, you must know how to become a health educator before you can begin lecturing, health screening or providing presentations.
Steps
- Graduate with a bachelor's degree in health education. This is the minimum educational requirement.
- The degree is offered at colleges and universities. Earning the degree requires you to complete courses in psychology, health education theory and human development. You may also have to take electives and general education courses like math.
- Gain practical experience. Employers prefer hiring a health educator with some experience in the field.
- Complete an internship. The internship may be a requirement to graduate with your bachelor's degree.
- Volunteer at businesses, medical care settings and nonprofit organizations that employ health educators.
- Earn a graduate degree.
- You can choose to major in areas such as health promotion, school health education or community health education.
- You will take specific health education courses, but you don't have to take any elective or general education classes.
- Earn the designation of Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
- The CHES is offered by the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing Inc. You must have a bachelor's degree, or be within 3 months of graduating, to qualify to take the examination.
- The examination tests you on topics related to health education and the responsibilities of a health educator.
- Work as a health educator.
- You can find a job through networking with other health educators. Also, you can look through offline and online employment listings.
- Complete any on-the-job training your employer may provide.
Tips
- The CHES isn't required to obtain a job. However, employers such as your local public health department may want you to have the designation before hiring you.
- Although a master's degree is not needed to enter the health educator field, it may be a requirement for some employers. Also, the master's degree is required if you want to pursue any advancement opportunities, such as health educator supervisor, senior health educator or executive director.
- A graduate degree may be an option for you when you have a bachelor's degree in a related field. For example, you should talk to an adviser about pursuing a master's degree in health education if you're transitioning from psychology or nursing to health education.
Health educators promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. They collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies and environments. They may also serve as a resource to assist individuals, other professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs. If you have a desire to teach . Health educators are in demand! Looking for a rewarding career with rapid job growth? You’ve come to the right place! Health educators work in a variety of settings with diverse groups of people. Take your education to the next level by teaching others.
- You have to complete 75 hours of health education seminars or courses within a 5-year to maintain your CHES designation.
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