What is a Health Educator?
Position Description Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May serve as a resource to assist individuals, other healthcare workers, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.
Daily Life Of a Health Educator
- Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
- Provide guidance to agencies and organizations on assessment of health education needs and on development and delivery of health education programs.
- Develop operational plans and policies necessary to achieve health education objectives and services.
- Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
- Design and administer training programs for new employees and continuing education for existing employees.
- Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
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Health Educator Skills
Health Educators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
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.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Related Job Titles
- Public Health Educator/Latino Outreach Coordinator
- Cessation Systems Outreach Specialist
- Public Health Technologist
- Public Health Educator
- Certified Diabetes Educator
Job Opportunities for Health Educators
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 61,000 jobs in the United States for Health Educator. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 8,900 new jobs for Health Educator by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 8,700 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Health Educator are Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maryland, Illinois, or Mississippi. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Health Educators Salary
The salary for Health Educators ranges between about $32,030 and $98,530 a year.
Health Educators who work in District of Columbia, Georgia, or Rhode Island, make the highest salaries.
How much do Health Educators make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $53,060 |
| Alaska | $62,800 |
| Arizona | $53,630 |
| Arkansas | $49,270 |
| California | $65,000 |
| Colorado | $56,800 |
| Connecticut | $71,940 |
| Delaware | $67,310 |
| District of Columbia | $88,060 |
| Florida | $54,520 |
| Georgia | $85,440 |
| Hawaii | $74,230 |
| Idaho | $54,110 |
| Illinois | $58,610 |
| Indiana | $55,130 |
| Iowa | $54,650 |
| Kansas | $52,480 |
| Kentucky | $49,280 |
| Louisiana | $55,930 |
| Maine | $49,510 |
| Maryland | $77,820 |
| Massachusetts | $63,270 |
| Michigan | $52,470 |
| Minnesota | $57,740 |
| Mississippi | $43,140 |
| Missouri | $46,470 |
| Montana | $45,370 |
| Nebraska | $46,610 |
| Nevada | $60,090 |
| New Hampshire | $59,100 |
| New Jersey | $61,110 |
| New Mexico | $54,240 |
| New York | $57,010 |
| North Carolina | $57,300 |
| North Dakota | $56,410 |
| Ohio | $55,730 |
| Oklahoma | $55,490 |
| Oregon | $56,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,220 |
| Rhode Island | $78,680 |
| South Carolina | $60,060 |
| South Dakota | $49,060 |
| Tennessee | $40,700 |
| Texas | $54,580 |
| Utah | $52,630 |
| Vermont | $58,430 |
| Virginia | $55,880 |
| Washington | $60,780 |
| West Virginia | $48,870 |
| Wisconsin | $55,800 |
| Wyoming | $48,590 |
What Tools do Health Educators Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Health Educators:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Visio
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Publisher
- MEDITECH software
- Blackboard
- Blackbaud The Raiser’s Edge
- Blogging software
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epi Info
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC WONDER
- Wiki software
How do I Become a Health Educator?
What education or degrees do I need to become a Health Educator?
What work experience do I need to become a Health Educator?
Who Employs Health Educators?
The table below shows the approximate number of Health Educators employed by various industries.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Health Educator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Coaches and Scouts
- Athletic Trainers
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
References:
Image Credit: Article 25 Flickr via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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