Health Educator
Contrary to popular belief, a health educator has many more options than teaching a public health education class in schools. A health educator is able to provide a very important service to their community, but we all need to know that these services are available. Public health education classes can be taught in several different venues, and it is just as important no matter where they are being conducted. A public health education is just that, providing the public with a health education. This obviously can involve teaching in school, but it does not have to. If we increase awareness about the places a health educator can teach their classes, we will all benefit from that. There are already many places where people are taking advantage of public health education, and hopefully it will become an ongoing trend. Below you will find the major areas where a health educator can operate.
1. The corporate world – Many companies hire a health educator to help and keep their employees in shape and healthy. As the saying goes, a healthy employee is a happy employee! While this may not exactly be considered public health education, they are educating the public about health. These do not have to be huge corporations either, small businesses provide their employees with public health education as well.
2. Hospitals – It makes sense that an institution that dedicates itself to health would have public health education available. This can be a great place for any health educator to work. You will be able to spend time with both children and adults and teach them what they can do in their lives to stay healthy and out of the hospital. Many people are admitted into the hospital because of their unhealthy habits to begin with, so having public health education available for them will provide them with the information they need to keep their body running smoothly. This can be a very fulfilling position for any health educator.
3. Your community – This is the essence of public health education. While there are some institutions that will pay you for your time, many try to put in some extra effort and volunteer so that their community can benefit from the knowledge they possess. As a health educator, you have the option of helping the people that do not have the funds needed to learn important information about their health otherwise. The knowledge you have should be treated like a gift, and that gift should be shared with the entire world.
Being a health educator comes with a responsibility to do everything in your power to provide public health education to anybody in need. Teaching at a school may be what you have dreamed of since you were a child, but remember that it is not your only option. Everybody could use a bit of health education, and you can be the one to provide it.