BEING A HEALTH EDUCATOR

“Health Educators work to positively influence the health behavior of individuals as well as the living and working conditions that influence health. They are employed in a variety of different settings, from hospitals, schools, and government agencies, to non-profit or community-based organizations. Health Educators plan, develop, implement, and evaluate health education programs. The topics that are covered by health educators include: smoking cessation, prenatal health, sexually transmitted diseases, environmental health issues, exercise, CPR, parenting issues, cancer, family planning, nutrition, and safety. Some educators work in a clinical setting, which means they see clients in their office, and educate them one-on-one on a particular topic. Others are more community-based and conduct presentations on a variety of topics to civic groups.

I have been a health educator for nine (9) years. My duties have changed over the years and now they are more administrative (paperwork). I supervise two (2) health educators who specialize in maternal and child health issues, sexually transmitted diseases and school health. When I am not in an administrative capacity, I spend much of my time working on environmental health issues such as the West Nile Virus, Rabies, and Bio-Terrorism. I teach community members how to protect themselves by developing programs that provide information and educational activities. I also develop written materials including: brochures, flyers, billboards, and newspaper articles. A lot of people look at me as a health teacher but I have the ability to see all age groups and work on health problems affecting my community.

To be a successful health educator you need to be flexible, organized, and creative. No two days are alike. Health Educators must keep up with an array of activities and schedules. They must be creative to keep the group’s attention and create eye-catching materials. As health educators, we do not know the specifics of every health problem or have the answers to every question, but we are a community resource and work to provide important information that could make a difference in someone’s life.”

Mitzie McCurdy began her preparation as an outstanding Health Educator during high school as a member of HOSA (HOSA). During her first membership year, Mitzie distinguished herself as a first place winner at the 1986 HOSA National Leadership Conference.

HOSA INVOLVEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1986 First Place-Parliamentary Procedure, 1986 NLC
• 1986-87 North Carolina HOSA Northwest Region Vice-President
• 1986-87 Alexander Central HOSA President
• 1999 Honorary Life Member-North Carolina HOSA
• 1987-2002 NC-HOSA State Conference Management Team

EDUCATION

• 1987 Alexander Central High School
• 1991 Appalachian State University, BS in Community Health Education
• 1995 Appalachian State University, Graduate Course in Family Life Education

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTH EDUCATION

Additional career information is available from these sources:

ThinkQuest-Health Education Profile
http://library.thinkquest.org/15569/car1bch2.html

American Association for Health Education
1900 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1599
1-800-213-7193 or (703) 476 - 3437
Fax: (703) 476 - 6638
http://capwiz.com/aahe/home/

Society of Public Health Education
750 First St., NE
Suite 910
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 408-9804
www.sophe.org