Health Educator Jobs in the United States

Health Educator Jobs Overview

Health educators are responsible for educating populations on how to improve their health. They create initiatives, instruct students, and lobby on behalf of those in need of medical attention. Those working in this profession often find health educator jobs at universities, medical centers, non-profits, and even government agencies.

Health educators often do the following things:

• determine the scope of health education
• conceive and create health education initiatives
• spread health information publications
• create courses for health education
• educate students at both public and private institutions
• develop instructional resources to educate populations about illness avoidance and health promotion

Entry-level positions in health education typically require a bachelor's degree. Given that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a seven percent job growth rate in the field of health education for the foreseeable future, competition for health educator jobs is expected to rise.

Health Educator Jobs: Salary Range

Health educators may make anywhere from $31,343 to $75,282 a year, with the typical income sitting at $47,845 per year. New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago are the top five cities in the United States for health education jobs.

As a health educator, your salary will vary depending on the role you have. Here are some salaries from similar fields to give you an idea of what you may make:

• diabetes educator - $61,631
• health and wellness coach - $44,177
• lactation consultant - $68,570
• clinical nurse educator - $74,303
• childbirth educator - $55,712

The amount of money you earn as a health educator can vary depending on where you reside. Health educator jobs in certain states or regions often pay more than similar positions in others. To explore salaries for health educator jobs in your area, use the Monster Salary Tool.

Finding the Ideal Health Educator Job for You

Creating and following long-term career goals is essential to finding health educator jobs that bring fulfillment to your life. Health educators often want to accomplish the following in their professional lives:

• conduct workshops
• provide lectures
• help large numbers of people
• write reports that greatly contribute to public health
• provide individualized care

You can use these questions to help you evaluate health educator job postings and decide whether they are a good fit for your long-term career aspirations:

• Does the job allow me to conduct workshops, provide lectures, or provide individualized care?
• How many people will I help on a daily basis?
• What credentials do I need to fill the role?
• Can I see myself progressing in this position?
• Does the employer provide reimbursement for certification or any type of professional development programs?

To further their careers and earn more money, some health educators pursue advanced credentials and graduate degrees in areas like pediatric rheumatology or preventive medicine. Finding a company that pays for professional growth through tuition reimbursement can significantly help you land better-paying health educator jobs.

Tips for Applying for Health Educator Jobs

A compelling resume and cover letter are necessities when applying for health educator jobs, especially in light of rising competition in the field. Read on for advice that will hopefully lead to an interview once you submit your next job application.

Application Preparation

If you want to receive an interview, reviewing your application thoroughly is a must. When applying for a job, you may have to demonstrate a wide variety of abilities and experience, as well as follow certain standards. Once you determine a certain role is a good fit for you, follow these tips during the application process:

• Include a section in your application outlining how well you meet the position's requirements by listing each one.
• Provide the names and contact information for at least three references who can attest to your qualifications..
• Keep your application free of typos and errors by using a spell and grammar checker.

Common skills for health educators to include within their applications are:

• leadership
• cultural competence
• writing
• teaching
• education
• analytical
• time management
• critical thinking
• teamwork
• public speaking

Build a Strong Resume

You can impress the hiring manager with your credentials and talents by tailoring your resume to the position. When building a resume for health educator jobs, keep these tips in mind:

• Showcase your broad experience in the field of health education by writing a chronological resume.
• When you have limited work experience, a functional resume makes it easier to highlight your skills and credentials.
• Use a combo resume if you have a wealth of experience in health education as well as the required abilities and credentials for a specific position.
• Use these healthcare resume examples as inspiration when creating your own.

Employers can better assess your qualifications for health educator jobs if you include relevant resume keywords. Adding keywords to your resume can also help recruiters find your application when using applicant tracking software. Health educator keywords you may want to use in your resume include:

• health education
• program evaluation
• health lectures
• public health
• community health
• health promotion
• program development
• community outreach
• prevention
• community engagement
• nonprofit organizations
• event planning

Don't let creating a resume stress you out. Improve your resume's visibility and get that interview you've been wanting by using Monster's Resume Writing Service.

Put Together a Cover Letter

Providing a cover letter with your resume highlights your genuine interest in a position. Just like your resume, it's important to tailor your cover letter to each position you apply for. When applying for health educator jobs, use these tips to create a standout cover letter:

• Explain how many years of experience you have as a health educator and the employers you've previously worked for.
• Discuss your unique abilities to teach students and how you feel you can add to their overall level of education by having you as an instructor.
• Talk about any teacher unions that you are a member of.
• The hiring manager can easily get in touch with you if they have any queries after reading your cover letter by ending it with your contact information.
• Use these cover letter examples to help you get you hired.

Submit the Application

You can easily explore different health educator job openings by joining Monster for free. If you think you meet the requirements, click the Apply option on the job posting. The recruiting manager will get your cover letter and resume in addition to the link to your profile. This makes it easy for the recruiting manager to evaluate your skills and experience for the position.

Alternatively, you can use Monster to attract recruiters and HR professionals to you. You can get interview requests from recruiters at any moment by filling out your profile and uploading your cover letter and resume.

Application Follow-Up

Employers often have strict hiring processes in place for health educators. Much of the time, you can view these processes on the employer's website or within the job listing's application instructions.

How to Follow Up

If you are unfamiliar with the hiring process, it's generally best to follow up between the fifth and seventh business day following application submission. The hiring manager will have plenty of time to review your application if you wait until then. E-mail is the most convenient way to follow up. Look at the job advertisement or get in touch with the company's HR division to locate the recruiting manager's email address.

Health Educator Interview Advice

With increasing competition among those applying for health educator jobs, it makes sense to carefully prepare for the interview process. Review the advice in the following sections to help you get a job after your next interview.

Interview Preparation

Finding a job you like requires carefully considering the company's culture and management style to ensure a good fit with your own work habits and values. This is why it's so important to conduct research on the school or employer before accepting an interview request. However, after you've decided that a certain position is a suitable match for you, you can follow these guidelines to ace your interview.

• Run a few practice interviews with a friend.
• Use credible sources to get accurate data about average salaries for similar jobs.
• Create a story to share with the interviewer that demonstrates your passion for teaching health education and why you want to inspire your students to take care of themselves.
• Make a note of any concerns or question you have regarding the job, including how many students you can expect to work with on a daily basis, your compensation and benefits like retirement savings, incentives to work for the school or employer, and any professional development opportunities.

During the Interview

Asking about the interview's format shows initiative on your part when responding to a request for an interview. During a behavioral interview, you can expect questions about your work ethic and how you handle specific work scenarios. Practicing with the questions below and studying the STAR method will help you prepare for behavioral-based interviews.

• Can you give me an example of how your role as a health educator for your last employer helped the students?
• Can you tell me about a time you had to create a public health education program and how you designed it?
• Tell me about a time that you were responsible for writing a lengthy report outlining the findings of a public health project you had worked on.

Competency-based interviews for health educators put a greater focus on your skills and qualifications and how you intend to use them. You can practice with this interview advice to familiarize yourself with how to answer competency-based interview questions and use the practice questions below.

• What health education programs are you involved with?
• What are your two favorite tools for teaching students?
• How do you keep up with the latest health education data and information?

Regardless of the interview format, whether it takes place via video or in person, always dress appropriately. For health educators, casual business attire or medical scrubs will work fine.

After the Interview

Health education jobs often have a high number of job applicants for open positions. Because of this, it's important to keep your name fresh in the memory of the interviewer and hiring manager. One of the best ways to do this is by sending a thank-you email the day following your interview. To find the interviewer's email address to send the note to, check the application's instructions or reach out to the employer's human resources department.

Health Educator Job Offer Strategies

When receiving a job offer for a health educator position, don't respond right away. Don't rush into anything; read the offer over and again, taking note of any questions you have about it. If you need a few days to think about the offer, simply let the hiring manager know within 24 hours of receiving it.

Before accepting, make sure you understand the entirety of the offer, including its required job duties, compensation, and benefits, and ask yourself whether it aligns with your long-term career goals. Do your best to accept, decline, or counter the offer within three to five days. Always provide the hiring manager with factual compensation information from reputable sources while negotiating your salary.

Career Paths for Health Educators

You can use your expertise in health education to pursue a diverse range of career paths. Much of the time, health educators put their training and expertise to use by becoming:

• Public health nurses: protect and improve the health of vulnerable populations by promoting health and safety and teaching people how to take better care of themselves
• Health coaches: help students or clients improve their physical and mental health through a variety of techniques, including cognitive behavioral therapies and motivational interviewing.
• Pediatric physical therapists: treat children with inherited, neurological, and musculoskeletal issues, focusing on improving their range of motion, endurance, coordination, and motor skills.

Health Educator: Related Professions

You also have a number of related professions to choose from as a health educator. Popular similar occupations include:

• physical education teacher jobs
• physical science jobs
• public health educator
• certified diabetes educator jobs
• early childhood special educator jobs