Health Educators
Overview
Introduction
Health educators teach individuals, families, and their communities about the benefits of good health and the steps (e.g., not or stopping smoking, following a healthy diet, undergoing regular screenings for colon and other cancers, getting vaccinations) one can take to reduce the risk of illness and early death. They talk to people one-on-one, give presentations to large groups, create webinars to reach online audiences, prepare flyers that are mailed to the public or posted online, and do whatever else it takes to educate the publ...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Health educators earned median annual salaries of $56,500 in May 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest 10 percent of educators earned $33,720 or less, while the top 10 percent made $101,890 or more. Depending on their employers, most full-time health educators enjoy a full complement of benefits, including vacation and sick time as well as holidays and medical and dental i...
Work Environment
Health educators typically work in comfortable offices, and have access to computer and office technology. At a health care facility, they may meet one-on-one with patients or also with their families to educate them about care issues, explain insurance policies, and direct them to health social service agencies that can provide additional assistance. Other health educators travel to local comm...
Outlook
Employment of health educators is projected to increase by 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This rate is much faster than the average for all careers. Studies show that a vigorous health education program in a community can improve patient health outcomes and reduce health care costs. These fact-based benefits of health education programs suggest that the...