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Health Education Specialists Occupation Detailed Description

Health Education Specialists career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Health Education Specialists

The main tasks and work activities of Health Education Specialists are to maintain social services program records, present social services program information to the public, plan programs to address community health issues, develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities. In general, for the Health Education Specialists, speaking, writing, active Listening, learning Strategies and other 17 skills are required.
Health Education Specialists Job Description
EducationMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related ExperienceA considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
ExampleMany of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Health Education Specialists jobs. 2.60% of Health Education Specialists have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 35.23% of Health Education Specialists have Bachelor's Degree and Above.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
2.60%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
62.17%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
35.23%

Tasks and Work Activities of Health Education Specialists

  • 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.
  • Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
  • Develop operational plans and policies necessary to achieve health education objectives and services.
  • Collaborate with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
  • Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
  • Supervise professional and technical staff in implementing health programs, objectives, and goals.
  • Design and conduct evaluations and diagnostic studies to assess the quality and performance of health education programs.
  • Provide program information to the public by preparing and presenting press releases, conducting media campaigns, or maintaining program-related Web sites.
  • Develop, prepare, and coordinate grant applications and grant-related activities to obtain funding for health education programs and related work.
  • Provide guidance to agencies and organizations on assessment of health education needs and on development and delivery of health education programs.
  • Develop and maintain health education libraries to provide resources for staff and community agencies.
  • Develop, conduct, or coordinate health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
  • Develop educational materials and programs for community agencies, local government, and state government.
  • Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
  • Design and administer training programs for new employees and continuing education for existing employees.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersTranslating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Training and Teaching OthersIdentifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Scheduling Work and ActivitiesScheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Maintain social services program records.
  • Present social services program information to the public.
  • Plan programs to address community health issues.
  • Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
  • Develop educational policies.
  • Assess individual or community needs for educational or social services.
  • Supervise workers providing client or patient services.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
  • Develop tools to diagnose or assess needs.
  • Advise others on social or educational issues.
  • Provide educational materials to community members.
  • Collect information about community health needs.
  • Train staff members in social services skills.
  • Develop educational programs.

Skills and Abilities for Health Education Specialists

  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active ListeningGiving 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.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Operations AnalysisAnalyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Digital video disk players or recorderse.g. Digital video disk DVD players
  • Notebook computerse.g. Laptop computers
  • Liquid crystal display projectore.g. Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
  • Overhead projectorse.g. Overhead display projectors
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizerse.g. Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Photocopierse.g. Photocopying equipment
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Sociology and AnthropologyKnowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Communications and MediaKnowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Medicine and DentistryKnowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Therapy and CounselingKnowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.