Health Education BY: EMMY WILLIAMS

INTRODUCTION

Ever since I was young, I have been extremely interested in the medical field. My mother and grandmother are nurses, my father is a social worker, and my other grandmother is a drug and alcohol counselor. You could say that working in the medical field is in my blood. I also believe this is where my passion for helping others and wanting to improve people’s lives comes from. I wanted to be a nurse at first but then wanted to work with preventative methods and fix problems before they started instead of waiting until problems presented themselves. Thus my decision to pursue Health Education was formed.

WHAT IS HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION?

The health promotion concentration area prepares graduates to assess health problems and develop, implement and evaluate health promotion and behavior programs that address those problems.

The health education profession has established standards for approval and accreditation of professional preparation programs.

The occupation of “health educator” has been included in the revisions to the public health occupation categories by the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce.

Professionals in this occupation design, organize, implement, communicate, provide advice on and evaluate the effect of educational programs. They also think of strategies designed to support and modify health-related behaviors of individuals, families, organizations and communities.

WHY I CHOSE HEALTH EDUCATION

I chose health education because I have a passion to promote healthy behaviors and educate the public about the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. I also enjoy keeping healthy habits at the forefront of everyone’s minds by using fun and creative techniques.

Ultimately I wish to work with underprivileged communities that may not have been exposed to healthy behaviors by educating them on making healthy lifestyle choices and implementing health promotion programs.

America’s obesity, especially childhood obesity, is at the highest level its ever been and I hope to one day help this rate decrease by making a difference at the community level.

THE HISTORY OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Although the history of health education dates back to the 19th century, it was not until the 1940s that the field began evolving as a distinct discipline.

Over time, health education’s theory and practice base have broadened from focusing on one-to-one and mass media behavioral interventions to encompass responsibility for policies, systems, and environments that affect population health.

In the early 21st century, the terms health education and health promotion are often used interchangeably in the United States, while internationally health promotion is used as an overarching concept that includes health education. 

WHERE DO HEALTH EDUCATORS PRACTICE?

Worksite: Plan and implement programs to keep employees healthy and to maintain safe work environments. Examples of worksite settings include large corporations, providers for organized groups of smaller industries, and other business and industrial firms.

Schools: Design programs and teach health education in the public and private schools Medical Services: Develop and implement preventive and rehabilitative health education

programs in hospitals, H.M.O.s, acute care clinics, and long term care facilities. Examples include consumer workshops on the use of medical services, pre-natal and childbirth classes, cardiac rehabilitation and life-adjustment groups, and screening for health conditions.

Communities: Assess need for health education programs at various sites in the community. Examples include voluntary health agencies and government-based service programs such as the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Planned Parenthood, adult day care centers, AIDS/HIV programs, American Red Cross, County Health Departments, wellness and health promotion institutes, international programs, fitness centers and many others.

ALTERNATE JOB TITLES

Patient Educator Family Planning Counselor Corporate Fitness Program Coordinator Drug Rehabilitation Director Grant Writer Volunteer Services Coordinator Environmental Educator Safety Educator Cardiac Rehabilitation Worker Tobacco Education Specialist Human Service Worker

GROWTH POTENTIAL

Employment of health educators and community health workers is projected to grow 21 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations.

Growth will be driven by efforts to improve health outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs by teaching people about healthy habits and behaviors and utilization of available health care services.

SALARY RANGE

The average salary for health education and health promotion experts is $41,830 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Job growth is excellent, with the demand for these specialists expected to rise by 21 percent over the next ten years.

This makes the career path one of the fastest growing in the nation.

In South Carolina, the average salary for a Health Educator is $56,000.

GRADUATE SCHOOL POSSIBILITES

Graduate School Cost at Clemson: $15,300/ semester Graduate School Cost at USC: $13,704/ semester Graduate School Cost at MUSC: $10,331/ semester Common graduate areas of study in the Schools of Public Health are:

health education, epidemiology, environmental health, health services administration, biostatistics, occupational safety and health, maternal and child health, international health and many more.

Related areas of study in other graduate schools are: business, marketing, healthcare administration, education and many more

HEALTH EDUCATION CREDENTIALING

NCHEC's (National Commission for Health Education Credentialing) voluntary professional certification program establishes a national standard for individual health education practitioners

How does national certification benefit practitioners and the public? Establishes a national standard of practice for all health education specialists Attests to the individual health education specialists' knowledge and skills Assists employers in identifying qualified health education practitioners Develops a sense of pride and accomplishment among certified health education

specialists Promotes continued professional development for health education specialists

WHY I AM A GOOD CANDIDATE

I feel like I am a good candidate to be a Health Educator because I am very outgoing, relatable and passionate. I also pride myself on being a leader who also can empathize very well which I believe is a vital skill in being an educator.

My Social score was 34, my Enterprising score was 27, and my Artistic score was a 14.

The SEA combination was a direct match with Health Educator which makes me very confident that I chose the right career path.

ACADEMICS

Entry-level health educator positions require a bachelor's degree in health education or health promotion. Most programs include an internship.

Some positions, such as those in the federal government or in state public health agencies, require a master's or doctoral degree

Education programs may lead to a 1-year certificate or a 2-year associate's degree and cover topics such as wellness, ethics, and cultural awareness, among others.

SKILLS/QUALITIES

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively. 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.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

CONCLUSION

I think that being a Health Educator is a career that I have a passion for and would excel in. It is a growing field that is trying to tackle America’s obesity crisis and I am so excited to be apart of the Health Education movement. With grad school and a certification, I believe I will be extremely marketable and hopefully get a job with ease. I am looking forward to graduating and going into the Health field to pursue the job of my dreams.

REFERENCES

"Becoming a Health Educator." - Health and Community Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.

"BS Health Promotion and Behavior." N.p., n.d. Web. "The Graduate School - University of South Carolina." The Graduate School - University of

South Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. "Health Educator Career." Health Educator Skills and Knowledge. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug.

2016. "Health Educators." MyFuture.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. "O*NET Interest Profiler." My Next Move Interest Profiler. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 16. "Schedule of Academic Charges." Schedule of Academic Charges. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug.

2016. "Welcome to TheGraduate School." Graduate School. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.