Health Educator

Health Educator, as a career can be quite exciting and challenging as long you don't mind the extended working hours. As a health educator, you will be able to help others by motivating them to lead a healthy and a happy life.

A bachelor's degree is the basic requirement for entry level job in this field. Specialized health education programs provide the skills needed to perform assessments, creating education materials and various assessment programs.

Besides health courses, many programs include an internship. Having prior work experience plays a vital role as many employers prefer candidates with prior experience. Schools offering specialized public health or health education programs allow students to complete a concentration, such as community health or work site health promotion. For senior level positions or jobs with state or federal government, having a  master's degree is mandatory.

Having a certification or license is not important to work as a health educator, but many employers choose candidates certified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC).

To be eligible for the certified health education specialist (CHES) credential, you must atleast  have a bachelor's or graduate degree in health education or related field. If you have a degree from some other field, then it is necessary that you have completed at least 25 semester hours (or 37 quarter hours) in health education. The NCHEC also offers the master certified health education specialist (MCHES) advanced credential to those with 5 years of work experience in the field.

In order to continue the CHES or MCHES credential, you should have atleast completed 75 continuing education hours every 5 years.Besides having a specialized certification, knowing a foreign language is always an asset especially while dealing with individuals or groups from different countries.

Job Overview of Health Educator in the USA

The job scenario of health educators is expected to improve by 37 percent from 2010 to 2020, as compared to other occupations. The rise in the opportunities will be as a result of the efforts to cut down the  healthcare costs by motivating people  to adopt healthy habits.

Pay of Health Educator in the USA

The median annual wage of health educators was $45,830 in May 2010. In 2010, the wages of the industries employing the most health educators were as follows: Social assistance                                                           34,850 Religious, grant making, civic, professional, and similar organizations                                                40,430 Ambulatory health care services                                    41,210 Government                                                                  48,900 Hospitals; state, local, and private                                $58,440

Related Areas for working in USA

• Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
• Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
• High School or Middle School Teachers
• Dietitians and Nutritionists
• School and Career Counselors