Friday, February 6, 2009

What the *&%! is a Health Educator?

I have received feedback from several people wondering what exactly does a health educator do. Or more precisely what is it that you are qualified to do?
Well there is not a simple answer to that question. But I did find a decent explanation- it is a little long, but there is a lot involved in being a health educator, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos063.htm this page sums it up better than I can. "Health educators work to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness through educating individuals and communities about behaviors that promote healthy living and prevent diseases and other health problems. " quoted from the above link.
Hope this explanation helps- I, of course will be promoting the little known and understood field of Health Education because I am convinced that Health Educators certified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing http://www.nchec.org are uniquely qualified to provide information and programs to encourage health and wellness.
A Health Educator does not need to be an RN!!. Health Educators and Nurses are part of two very different professions with very different skill and knowledge bases. I will stop there, it is a sore subject of mine.

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