Healthcare Organizations Where Health Educators Work
Health educators are individuals who teach the public how to ensure healthy living. One of the organizations where health educators are employed includes American Public Health Association which is located in Washington, D.C. The organization champions every community’s health in the United States of America through various public health initiatives. SHAPE America is also another major healthcare organization that has employed many health educators located in Virginia. The organization consists of health and physical educators whose main aim is to offer support to other professionals in the health sector to promote healthy living through physical education. Another entity is the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, located in Washington, D.C. The organization employs health educators to create awareness in America that an individual’s sexuality is a natural occurrence that should be embraced.
A Day in the Life of a Healthcare Educator
The American Public Health Association plays a major role in educating American citizens through various initiatives. Health educators are the individuals who undertake the most responsibilities to ensure that the public gets the best information that promotes healthy living. The main roles of a health educator include:
- Maintaining patient logs within the organization.
- Conduct consultations with physicians and other staff
- Plan and implement various intervention plans
- Health educators also conduct various outdoor activities to reach the public to conduct various physical research.
Upcoming Conferences in the American Health Sector
One of the major upcoming congresses in the American health sector that would be relevant for healthcare educators is the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Patient Safety Congress. The conference will take place on 16th May and end on 18th May 2022. The theme of the conference is National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety. Healthcare educators can attend the conference in Texas or follow it via online platforms. Registration for the conference was opened on 15th April and is currently ongoing.
Another recommendable conference that health educators can join is the AoME 2022 Summer Academic Conference which will commence on 15th June 2022. The Theme of the Conference is Re-Energizing Medical Education: New Era, New Ways of Teaching and Learning. Registration and Sign up sessions will be open from 15th June at 9:00 AM.
New Developments in Health Education
There have been significant changes in Health Education Policies and Regulations. The new program policies and regulations are enacted and implemented by various healthcare organizations and unions under the control of the American state department of health. One of the strategies adopted by the government is empowering education through in-service training of Health Education Specialists. In-service training is an effective approach since it enables educators to acquire more reliable skills and knowledge to be more productive in the health sector. A highly trained health education specialist helps in increasing the quality of both in and outpatient care.
The in-service training program for Health Education Specialists will have a significant impact on individuals in the health sector. Some health educators did not manage to pass the mandatory education required to work as healthcare practitioners. However, introducing the in-service training program will enable the individual to gain relevant knowledge and skills for being productive in the health sector. Training programs within a given healthcare organization enable a health education to identify some of the areas that they should put more effort in to promote healthy living. Knowledge and appropriate practical skills are the most required qualifications of a healthcare practitioner, and training plays a major role in ensuring one acquires the relevant knowledge are skills required to provide quality healthcare.
Salary Update
The area of practice has a great impact on the salary of a Health Education Specialist. For example, individuals working in the private sector may earn differently from those working in the public sector. As of 2021, the average salary of a Health Education Specialist was as follows (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021)
Median Annual Salary: $55,220
Top 10% Annual Salary: More than $98,530
Bottom 10% Annual Salary: Less than $32,030
Becoming a Certified Health Education Specialist
Some of the benefits include being given the first propriety during a hiring process, and it also portrays an individual as one who possesses evidence-based practice skills, which is a vital aspect in the health sector. The CHES certification also ranks a Health Education Specialist at the gold standards for health.
Individuals interested in doing the exam must have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree from an accredited higher learning institution. One may also present official transcripts highlighting a major in a given health education course.
Factoids about CHES
An individual holding a CHES designation portrays that they have achieved all the required academic preparation qualifications.
It also implies that one has successfully passed competency-based and evidence-based practice examinations in the health sector.
The CHES certification also represents expertise in the healthcare sector and satisfies the continuing education requirement to maintain the national credential.
Health Literacy Awareness Month
Health awareness month is an important day in the American health sector because it is a day when members of the community are educated on various illnesses and how they can cope with the conditions. Most of the activities done on this day majorly aim at promoting healthy living. In February, the American Health Education Specialists conduct health awareness on healthy vision.
Health equity is the provision of quality and affordable healthcare to the members of the community regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.
Some of the healthcare disparity cases in the United States of America include:
- The mortality rate gap between black and white individuals continues to increase.
- Most black individuals do not have access to health insurance, or a significant number of them have been underinsured.
- Segregation of healthcare facilities from areas with a lot of black settlers made it challenging to access quality healthcare.
- Many black individuals are also affected by the burden of various chronic diseases compared to white individuals.
- Increased cases of racism in the number of healthcare institutions have also increased healthcare disparity in America.
Some of the educational and community-based programs and activities for healthcare educators include:
- Oral Health Outreach Programs: This program majorly aims at educating children on the importance of caring for their teeth at a younger age. The program includes activities that majorly train the children to clean their teeth properly to have healthy teeth.
- Drugs and Substance use outreach programs: A significant number of American youth have been affected by drug abuse, which has negatively impacted their health. The program majorly aims at educating the youth on how to abstain from drugs to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Resources for Health Education Specialists
Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Website: www.cdc.gov
- Phone Number: 800-232-4636
Society for Public Health Education:
- Website: www.sophe.org
- Phone Number: 202-408-9804
Eta Sigma Gamma:
- Website: etasigmagamma.org
- Phone Number: 765-372-8189
Society of Health and Physical Educators:
- Website: www.shapeamerica.org
- Phone Number: (800) 213-7193
Reference
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.