Community Health Educator Job Description
Cottrell, Girvan, & McKenzie (1999) discussed the job descriptions of health educators working in community, worksite, and health care settings. Aside from job expectations of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of health education programs, community health educators are expected to be able to work with diverse groups of people, and engage in other activities such as “fund-raising, coalition building, committee work, budgeting, general administration, public speaking, volunteer recruitment, grant writing, and media advocacy (p. 170).
Four survey studies of community health education employers and/or college faculty reveals a wide variety of skills and personal attributes required of community health educators in their jobs (Bajracharya, 1999; Lindsay, Hanks, Neiger, & Barnes, 2000; Timmreck and Cole, 1989; Sondag et al., 1993). These studies span the last decade and are reveal the level of expectations by employers of community health educators.
Timmreck and Cole (1989) emphasized health service administration skills, which are usually overlooked in community health education and health promotion. These skills include program assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. In addition, community health educators are expected to coordinate, analyze, and organize. Other skills required were accounting, budgeting, personnel managing, computing and marketing. In addition to the tasks of helping people change their lifestyles, other practical activities such as identifying objectives, planning programs and developing budgets are also common for health educators in their profession. Most health service agencies and private businesses hiring graduates from health education or health promotion fields expect them to possess certain health administration skills or at least to be trained in these areas (Bonaguro, 1983; Parlettee, 1981; Squyres, 1982).
Sondag et al. (1993) examined employer perceptions of the importance of entry-level health education skills. The results showed that the respondents generally felt that certain skills were essential even at entry level. The skills they identified were: coordination, program assessment, program planning, program implementation, program evaluation, communication, as well as the capability of acting as an resource person. Among these skills, they found that in communication, program assessment, and acting as an resource person were the most important for the employers. They also found that there were differences in employer’s perception depending on the types of organization. For instance, the need for communication skills and the capability of acting as an information resource are more important for employers in community settings than for those of worksite settings.
In another study, Bajracharya (1999) listed seven health education skills perceived to be important for rural community health employers. The skills were ranked from the most to the least important: communication and health education, assessing community needs, planning programs, implementing programs, coordinating programs, acting as a resource person, and evaluating programs.
Lindsay et al. (2000) surveyed health department employers and faculty from health education professional preparation programs. They found the most important skills for graduating students entering the workforce to possess included writing, public speaking, and presentation skills. CHES certification was not viewed as being optional.
Responsibilities and skills required of community health educators are consistent with that generally expected (Anspaugh, Dignan, & Anspaugh, 2000; Cottrell, Girvan, McKenzie, 1999; Doyle & Ward, 2001; Steuart & Kark, 1993).
Online Community Health Education Job Search Strategies
Tomita & Taub (1999) explored various methods to find health education job announcements on Internet at the time. They listed web sites relating to health education jobs, as well as common job search engines for health educators. Among the more productive job search engines at the time for community health educators were CareerPath (CareerPath, 2000), America’s Job Bank (AJB, 2000), MonsterBoard (MonsterBoard, 2000), and Public Health Employment Connection (Emory University, 2000). They also provided health education job seekers valuable advice on how and where to find their ideal positions: searching health education job-specific web sites is the easiest and most direct method to find a job in the area. But using more than one method will increase the chances of finding job possibilities. Those who master the electronic world of the Internet will enhance their success in finding their ideal jobs. The methods described in Tomita & Taub (1999) were used to collect job announcements for the HEPR Job Bank (Taub & Tomita, 2000) by the HEPR staff. These job announcements were used in this study.
Community Health Educator Job Qualifications
It is generally accepted in health education that an individual who possesses a baccalaureate degree in a health education major meets the minimum educational requirement of the profession. In addition to a college degree and appropriate major, certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)(NCHEC, 1996) is optional, although the creation of the certification was meant to further the development of the profession by creating standards of practice, and viewed as an essential job qualification (Cleary, 1995; Girvan & Kearns, 1993; Hager, 1997; Mail, 1994; Ricketts, 2000). There still exists, however, controversy over the utility of the CHES certification in the workplace (Butler, 1997).
Although the community health educator job qualifications are clearly defined by the profession, there is the lack of understanding by employers that such standards exist (Bajracharya, 1999; Sondag, Taylor, & Goldsmith, 1993). Sondag et al. (1993) in a study of community and worksite settings, found that the majority of health education responsibilities were being performed by individuals other than health educators. Likewise, Bajracharya (1999) found only 25% of responsibilities in rural health department were being performed by health educators.
Pickett & Pickett (1995) provided an introduction into careers as a public health educator, in which they described the qualifications, position responsibility, job prospect and salary range for health educators (Pickett & Pickett, 1995, p. 82).
A Descriptive Study of Community Health Education Jobs in the U.S.A. Part 3
Second, students and community health educators need job information to make informed decisions about their career options. Professional preparation programs may be tailored to address career issues such as work settings, salaries, clinical versus administrative ladders, and other information needed for graduating students to make informed choices about their careers. Also, faculty in these programs may address competencies required of entry-level community health educators by employers and may job attainment may be used as an outcome measure for programmatic evaluation.
Third, this study may help community health education administrators and employers examine how their organizations compare with other places of employment, and clarify the professional competencies required for community health education jobs.
Literature Review
An extensive literature review yielded a paucity of information regarding community health education jobs. However, a literature is presented in this chapter in the order of Health Education Professional Resources Job Bank (where data for this study was obtained), how community health education job were obtained from the Internet, and related information, and community health education job qualifications, descriptions, and employee compensation. The reason for inclusion of job search strategies using the Internet is because its use in the profession is relatively new and unknown, and it illustrates how computer technology may be used for professional purposes.
Other health education job studies have been reported, however, they will not be discussed because they are beyond the scope of this study on community health education jobs (Crase & Hamrick, 1990; Moore, Pealer, Weiler, & Seabert, 1999).
Health Education Professional Resources Job Bank
The World Wide Web (web) has made it possible to search for community health education jobs online. One web site in particular is Health Education Professional Resources (HEPR) (Taub & Tomita, 2000). HEPR is one of the largest professional health education web site in the world, housing among other resources, the HEPR Job Bank. HEPR began in 1996 as a professional resource to health educators (Taub & Tomita, 2000; Tomita, 2000). This resource would be web-based, and would provide information about the health education profession. One of the most popular and frequently used feature of HEPR is the Job Bank. HEPR receives over 1 millions hits per year, almost three-fourths of which for the Job Bank (Tomita, 2000). The HEPR Job Bank contains listings of health education job announcements categorized into: College/ University: Academic Faculty, College/ University: Student Health Services, Community, Internships/ Grad. Assistantships, K-12 Health Teachers, Outside USA. Job announcements in each of these categories may either be browsed or searched by the user. The job announcements of interest to this study are the community health educator positions.
Statement of the Problem
What are the job characteristics of community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
Research Questions
This study focused on the following questions regarding community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998.
1. Where are community health education job announcements in the USA found on the Internet from May-December 1998?
2. What is the seasonal distribution of community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
3. What is the geographic distribution of community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
4. What are the typical job titles for community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
5. In what types of institutions are community health education jobs offered in the USA from May-December 1998?
6. What are the professional qualifications for community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
7. What are the job descriptions of community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
8. What are the special skills being requested for community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
9. What compensation packages for community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998?
Definition
Community Health Educator refers to a professional who applies “a variety of methods that results in the education and mobilization of community members in actions for resolving health issues and problems which affect the community. These methods include, but are not limited to, group process, mass media, communication, community organization, organization development, strategic planning, skills training, legislation, policy making and advocacy (JCHET, 1991, p. 105).”
Delimitations
This study was delimited to a randomized sample of community health education job announcements obtained through Health Education Professional Resources Job Bank (Taub & Tomita, 2000) in the USA from May-December 1998. The study is be limited only to community health education job announcements.
Limitations
The findings from this study may not be generalized to all community health education jobs in the USA from May-December 1998, because only one source, the HEPR Job Bank (Taub & Tomita, 2000), was used as a source of data. The methods used by the HEPR Job Bank Staff to collect job announcements are primarily conducted through online resources, and is not comprehensive.
Significance of Study
There are three major reasons why this study was important to conduct. First, there has been no national studies to assess typical community health education jobs in the USA. Such workforce studies are essential to evaluating the health education profession and the formation of policies and agendas that affect the profession. How can professional associations in cooperation with governmental agencies and other professional bodies plan for workforce needs in the 21st Century without having basic information about community health education jobs? It is simply not possible, and such planning will be based upon opinions and hearsay rather than on facts.
A Descriptive Study of Community Health Education Jobs in the U.S.A
The purpose of this study was to explore the community health education jobs in the USA and to provide relevant workforce information to community health education professionals and students. Two hundred fifty community health education announcements out of 908 were randomly selected from the Heath Education Professional Resources (HEPR) Job Bank for the periods May to December of 1998. Job information such as job searching methods, working environments, job qualifications, job descriptions, salaries, and benefits of community health education professionals were characterized.
RESULTS: October had the highest number of job announcements during eighth-month period. There were more job announcements from the Northeast and West. Many of the job announcements were obtained through CareerPath® and America’s Job Bank®. There were at least 137 different job titles. The majority of institutions hiring health educators were either non-profit or government. About two-thirds were public organizations. The majority of the positions (86%) required applicants to have either a baccalaureate or master’s degree. There were diverse job qualifications. College majors other than health education or community health were acceptable. Work experience in descending order were: program planning and evaluation, program management, working with diverse populations, community organization and coordination, and working with multicultural populations in descending order. One to five years of working experience was required for the job positions. Target population and target issues were diverse. Almost half of the health educators served general health issues in their community. Computer skills, particularly word processing and Internet skills, were required. The capacity for working independently and self-motivation were significant factors in the hiring for most of the employers. Communication skills were required in 80% of the job announcements. Other required skills included program assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and teaching. For full-time employees, the median salary was $36,000. Other employee compensation information is also reported.
Introduction
Health Education As An Evolving Profession
The health education profession has been evolving over the past 20 years with the development of defined professional responsibilities and competencies (NCHEC, 1996, 1999), individual and programmatic credentialing programs (SABPAC, 1990; Cleary, 1995; NCHEC, 1996), defined theories and models to guide professional practice (Green & Kreuter, 1991; Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, 2001), a professional code of ethics (Anonymous, 2000; Capwell, Smith, Shirreffs, and Losen, 2000), and a governmental mandate for the role of health education to improve the health of all Americans (USPHS, 1991). “Public health educator” was recently listed with the U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Classification System Manual (USDOL, 2000) and job related statistics may be generated within the next few years. Despite such professional progress, almost no research has been conducted on the professional workforce to assess typical job characteristics. Without such information, professional preparation programs are unable to attract and educate students about career opportunities, professional health educators cannot make informed career decisions, and professional associations cannot coordinate fact-based programs to educate employers about what is health education and what are the responsibilities and competencies of the professional health educator. What are the job titles, work settings, job qualifications, job descriptions, and salaries of health educators? In what part of the USA are jobs being offered?
The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of community health education jobs in the USA found on the Internet from May-December 1998.
Outreach to Migrant Farmworkers Through a Pesticide Safety Initiative. Part 3
Part II
As faculty and community partners developed a relationship, expanding the program was discussed. Continued fundraising, targeting more farmworker communities, and involving CSUC students in the health education programming were planned for the following semester. This paper addresses pesticide safety guidelines, the objectives and components of a pesticide safety initiative, student reflections on service learning, and a summary of the outreach projects.
Farmworkers in California California is rich in growing fields but many of us do not see its poorer side. This other California is the home of our farmworkers. “Hundreds of thousands of children, teens, and adults labor each year in fields, orchards, and packing sheds across the United States. They pick lettuce and cantaloupe, weed cotton fields, and bag produce. They climb rickety ladders into orchards, stoop low over chili plants, and "pitch" heavy watermelons for hours on end. Many begin their work days either in the fields or en route to the fields-in the middle of the night. Twelve-hour workdays are common” (Human Rights Watch Staff, 2000). Farmworker families need assistance on many levels. Enforcement of workers' rights, pesticide safety, assurance of adequate housing, increased availability of traditional and nontraditional education, and free and accessible health care - these are the minimum conditions necessary to ensure that all agricultural laborers, have a safe and healthy life. Agricultural work is the most hazardous and grueling employment for children and adults in the United States. It is also the least protected and the poorest paid. Farmworkers are regularly exposed to pesticides — while mixing or applying pesticides; during planting, weeding, thinning, irrigating, pruning, and harvesting crops; living in or near treated fields; or eating pesticide-contaminated food. As a result, farmworkers face greater risk of exposure to hazardous pesticides than any other sector of society. There were over 4,000 cases of farmworker pesticide poisoning reported in California from 1991-1996 (Reeves, Katten, & Guzman, 2002). Farmworkers continue to face unacceptable risks of exposure to dangerous pesticides (see PowerPoint Presentation 1, The Health Threats of Pesticides to Farmworkers, and PowerPoint Presentation 2, Información Sobre Los Pesticidas). How to Reduce Pesticide Exposure Only eliminating hazardous pesticides and replacing them with safer, less toxic ones is a sustainable solution to protecting farmworkers and the environment. However, farmworkers need help reducing their risk until sustainable agriculture is a reality. There are several simple actions farmworkers can take to reduce their exposure and thus protect their health. Farmworkers should know that pesticides may be on or in plants, soil, irrigation water, or drifting from nearby applications. Basic actions to prevent pesticide poisonings are:
People serving migrant farmworkers should know (Reeves, Murphy, & Morales, 2003):
Outreach to Migrant Farmworkers Through a Pesticide Safety Initiative. Part 2
The Mini-Corp Program is part of California's Migrant Education Program (MEP) which is supported by federal and state laws. The state law is a response to federal requirements for educating migratory students. Migrant Education supports two kinds of programs designed to strengthen the school, community, and family experiences of children and their families. Migrant Education is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs and projects that support the education of migrant students and their families. Some programs are developed locally by migrant education regional offices in collaboration with the school districts that enroll migratory students. Other programs are administered statewide and are designed to meet specific needs of students such as those related to health, family literacy, and summer school. Migrant Education provides various health education programs at farmworker camps in their region.
Ms. Lupe Guillen, the CSUC campus Mini-Corps Coordinator, scheduled a meeting with the Butte County Office of Migrant Education — Region II Health and Family Specialist Joey Adame. We discussed items that were needed by the area migrant farmworkers and ways to distribute the items. We expressed an interest in developing a community partnership and addressed the principles of a community partnership (see Appendix A). We followed this meeting with in-depth interviews with the college students enlisted as Mini-Corp teachers. The consensus from these students and community leaders who are working directly with farmworker families was that farmworkers need the following items to help protect themselves from the hazards of pesticide-related poisonings: soap, detergent, changes of clothing, hats, warm clothes, long sleeve shirts, floor mats, slippers or house shoes, water jugs and coolers, bedding, towels, sunscreen, and lip protectant.
Part I
The partnership and program developed and expanded over 2 semesters. The first semester students in the environmental health course began community fundraising and initiated a campus clothing drive. Recognizing a language barrier existed; students and faculty worked directly with bilingual Migrant Education health aides and conducted a pesticide safety education program for them. Students also attended two farmworker communities as support staff as we teamed up with Migrant Education during their outreach programs. In one camp, hundreds of items were given away by the CSUC students and in the second community event, a children’s holiday workshop was featured. During the holiday workshop, students displayed the new items they solicited as gifts and helped the migrant children gift wrap these pesticide safety items for family members (see Figures 1 & 2). The CSUC students played games with the children and provided snacks while the parents attended a health education seminar. Several bilingual college students and migrant health aides helped facilitate the interactions.
Outreach to Migrant Farmworkers Through a Pesticide Safety Initiative
In order for migrant farmworkers to engage in pesticide safety actions they need to understand the health risks related to pesticide exposure and the steps they can take to reduce and mitigate exposure. Most importantly, beyond education, migrant farmworkers need the products and resources necessary to take pesticide safety action. This article explains how we created a service learning project to provide migrant farmworkers in our area with the supplies they need for a successful pesticide safety program.
Introduction
A year ago we were packing unsold T-shirts from a fund raiser into storage boxes when a student asked what we were planning to do with the shirts. We replied that since the T-shirts were now out of date we were just sending them to the warehouse. She asked if she could have a couple for her father who worked in the fields. He didn’t always have a clean shirt to put on after work. We had over sixty shirts. Did she know of others who could use a shirt? She assured us that there were a lot of farmworkers who would benefit from new shirts.
The next day in an environmental health class the topic was pesticides and in an instant the human connection between pesticides and the health toll they take was crystal clear. The curriculum changed that day to include an in-depth study on pesticides and farmworkers with an emphasis on creating a service learning project that could make a difference in the pesticide exposure experienced by our local migrant farmworkers in northern California.
In this service learning project, California State University, Chico (CSUC) students were guided to design positive prevention messages that built on the positive aspects of the migrant farmworker community in contrast to traditional methods of assessment that focus on problems, needs, barriers, and weaknesses. According to Parks and Straker, (1996) much of what we know about health education programming is based on community problems and little on its possibilities. By building on the values and traditions of many ethnic communities, positive prevention messages can be creatively developed. Students and faculty were required to work with peers, members of the ethnic communities, and local agencies to develop their program. This article describes the service learning project we created. It is a project that could be adopted by any human service organization.
About Migrant Education – Our Community Partner
As faculty members on a college campus, we did not have a direct link to the farmworkers in our area, but our campus houses a Mini-Corp Program and that seemed like a possible partnership. The Mini-Corp Program provides tutoring to migratory elementary students to give them the academic and social support they need to succeed in their course work and help them stay in school. The tutors come from a migrant family background and are full-time college students who are pursuing teaching credentials. Mini-Corps tutors work with migratory students during the school year and summer school as role models to strengthen the relationships among students, teachers, family members, and members of the community.