Top Resources for Future Health Educators

Understanding Accreditation

Accreditation is vital to obtaining a well-respected degree that results in being hired by an employer you actually want to work for. If you don’t take the time to look for a university’s accreditation status (or lack thereof), you may not be able to transfer your credits or even apply for federal financial aid; federal laws prevent students at unaccredited schools from receiving this assistance.

What is accreditation? Consider it a stamp of approval or an endorsement given by agencies that evaluate individual universities, colleges, community colleges, and even specific programs for the quality of their educational programs, courses, and faculty.

To be accredited, an individual university or degree program, such as a health education degree program, voluntarily requests an accreditation evaluation. Degree programs and universities, community colleges and colleges submit their programs for evaluation if they feel they will qualify and it’s in their best interest.

These agencies have created the standards by which they evaluate schools or programs with the support of professionals or even the federal government in the case of regional accrediting agencies. If the school or program is found to meet the standards of the accreditation agency, it will be given an accreditation status.

For regional accreditation, you should keep your eyes open for these agencies:

For Health Education, you should keep your eyes open for these accrediting agencies.

Questions About Financial Aid

Going to college isn’t a cheap endeavor. You and your parents are likely to put many thousands of dollars into your degree. Ask about each school’s total price. This is the cost of tuition, fees, books, supplies, room/board, and other expenses that the school charges all students.

If you apply and are approved for financial aid, your award package could pay for a substantial portion of that, but it’s unlikely to cover all of it. Universities and financial aid programs work together to create a financial aid plan that applies payments directly to a student’s school bill. These financial aid packages can contain grants, scholarships, work-study, or federal or private student loans.

What is left after financial aid is known as the average net price. This is often affected by you or your parents’ annual income. If, for instance, your parents earn up to $75,000, they (and you) would owe more than a family that earns less than $48,000.

To get access to financial aid, you need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once you are approved, you’ll be able to apply for grants, work-study, scholarships, or student loans (federal or private). Not all scholarships or grants require this, but many do. In this application, you answer questions that help the Department of Education understand the level of your need for assistance.

You don’t have to limit yourself to federal financial aid; you can apply for state aid as well. You also may be able to apply directly to your university for institutional grants or scholarships. And there are thousands of scholarships available through private organizations or corporations that are involved in the degree program you’re pursuing. If you are applying for several forms of aid, you may not get the maximum amount for grants, scholarships, or work-study.

Health Education Associations for Students

Health education students can obtain numerous benefits when they join health education associations. This is because they will gain access to materials other students can’t use for their papers. They may also gain access to learning opportunities that they would not otherwise have and networking with professionals who are already working I the field.

Student or Open Access Journals

Student or open access journals can be challenging to read, even if you are relatively advanced in your classes. Combined with how much your professors may assign for you to read, each article can take a significant amount of time to get through. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

If you are going to get accustomed to reading and understanding articles at this level, it’s best to begin now. You’re going to be reading actively rather than passively; using your mind to figure out new words and their meanings, along with what the text is communicating, and hearing about concepts that may not even have come up in class. This will put you ahead of the curve as you continue through college and put you in a good position to succeed.

Health Education Study Resources

Even if you are attending in-person classes to earn your health education degree, you can still benefit from online resources. You may even want to take a few refresher courses later in your education, take a class over the summer to avoid summer brain drain, or take a class that isn’t offered by your school.

Online classes are convenient; you usually don’t need to log on at 9:15 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday; you can log on as early or as late in the day as you find necessary to add to your learning. While this may be a new mode of learning for you, it may be more interesting for you simply because it is different.

If you’re worried about the cost, look for free online resources, such as Coursera. This website has thousands of courses available, some of which may be in health education or other courses you’re interested in.

Apps

Smartphone apps aren’t just for social media or playing game. Students of all ages, including college, are very comfortable with their devices, having made them work with their lifestyles for years.

Students store upcoming homework assignments, exam dates, and study dates with them as well. They sometimes use their camera capability to take images of the pages they are studying so they can refer to them without having to open their textbooks.

Both Apple and Android have apps available for their customers to download or buy. So, why shouldn’t you download helpful apps that will help you track time, stay on-task, study, and keep organized?

Health Educator Certification Options

As a future health education specialist, you’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the health issues that are affecting populations as a whole and, more specifically, in the community where you live or attend school.

This knowledge comes though analyzing data from community members. Once you have this information, you’re able to create effective programs, meet with vulnerable community members, and encourage everyone to develop healthy lifestyles. You’ll also be active in creating new policies that support healthy living and make a healthier environment possible.

You may work in a government agency, hospital or clinic, a community organization, school or university, insurance company, or in a non-profit.

Once you have earned a bachelor’s degree, at minimum, and participated in an internship, you can then turn your attention toward certification. Once you have passed the most common certification exam for health educators, you’ll have the designation CHES after your name—this stands for Certified Health Education Specialist.

This certification is an indicator to others that your knowledge and practices comply with a national standard of practice. If you plan to work in a school district as a health teacher, you’ll be required to hold a certification in order to work.

Certification Study Resources

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) has created and administers the CHES exam throughout the US. The study guide and exam both focus on current, validated competencies and sub-competencies at both the basic and advanced levels. These are the CHES and MCHES study guides and exams for both new and experienced health educators. Organizations also use the study publication to assess the depth of health education knowledge among its staff.

The study guide acts as a helpful supplement to texts and class lectures that health educators may have already completed. NCHEC advises that health educators should study multiple sources before taking the exam.

Job Boards

Professional Health Education Associations

Once a graduate of a health education degree program begins to look for employment, they should also look for professional health education associations they wish to join. Even at the beginning of their careers, this will help to benefit their careers and their level of health education knowledge.

A health education association is full of fellow health educators; they may work for the government, for a non-profit, or in a school district. The biggest commonalities are in their career goals. They will be able to network with other professionals and find the job opportunities they want. Professional health educator associations schedule meet-and-mingle events, where newer educators can meet with more-experienced educators.

Popular Health Education Journals

Continuing to read professional health education journals will allow you to stay up to date throughout your career. Doing so means you and your fellow health educators are able to contribute to the good reputation of your employer, be it a government agency, non-profit organization, or school district.

If you have plans to return to school and earn your master’s or doctorate, you are also laying the foundation for becoming a full professor who may be about to gain tenure. Depending on your specialization, you may also accumulate enough knowledge and experience so that you eventually become a leader in the health education field.

Industry Conferences for Health Educators

It’s vital for you, as a health educator, to attend industry conferences. You get the chance to meet with hundreds of health education professionals and learn about new developments in health education. You’ll also learn about the best practices in this field, allowing you to make changes in how you do your work.

Attending conferences allows you to get to know other health educator professionals and gain support as you further your learning and goals. At conferences, you’ll have the chance take part in educational sessions and listen to noted speakers who introduce new developments and ways of thinking in this field.