Health Educators

One of the best ways to explore this field is to try your hand at communicating health information to others. Learn about a health-related topic (cancer prevention, stopping the spread of an infectious disease, etc.) and create a 500-word presentation that educates the public about the issue. Give the presentation to your health class or to your family, and ask for feedback on information that you conveyed and the effectiveness of your presentation. After receiving feedback, streamline your presentation until it is perfect. Then present the information at a school health fair or in another setting to build your skills.

Talk to health educators about their careers. Many will be happy to discuss what they like and dislike about the field. Perhaps you could even job shadow an educator as he or she meets with the public, gives presentations, and conducts research.

Check out the Web sites of colleges and universities that offer degrees in health education and promotion to learn about typical classes, internship opportunities, and other education-related topics. Visit https://www.healtheddirectory.org for a list of schools.

Consider joining HOSA-Future Health Professionals, a global membership organization for middle school, high school, and college students who are interested in learning about health care careers and developing their leadership skills. It has more than 260,000 members and offers scholarships, competitions, the HOSA eMagazine, and other resources. Learn more at https://hosa.org.