The Professional Health Educator in the 21st Century - Essay Example

Essentially the health educator can be defined as the facilitator of disease prevention and promotion of healthy lifestyles by way of knowledge and behavioral change. The profession of health care educator exposes the working professional to inter-disciplinary preventative healthcare research and literature. Disciplines incorporated into the profession of health education include biology, physiology, psychology, sociology, education, community services and research methodology. As a science, health educator science is dynamic and continuously developing from previous knowledge.

As such, the health educator is required to take part in at least four years of academic training at an approved institute. And although there is no global consensus as to the optimal length of training, health educator students are expected to complete their Bachelor's Degree in Health Education or Health Promotion to be able to practice. As well, the health educator professional has the responsibility to continue their education through professional development courses. This may entail attending workshops and seminars, professional organization meetings, or adding to their academic achievements within the formal context of the university.

The health educator professional is expected to access to numerous journals and other literature so as to be aware of the changes of knowledge and practices within their discipline. In these ways, members of the public can be assured that the services provided by the health educator are of a very high standard. Their academic studies have focused on concepts of attitude and lifestyles behavior and so the professional health educator can deliver a unique service to the community. Also, in order for the health educator to be accepted as a member of a professional body it is necessary that they demonstrate a high level of proficiency of selected competencies.

These competencies have been developed within a Framework for the Development of Competency-Based Curricula for Entry-Level Health Educators. At the national level, professional health educators are contributing to the shaping of legislation in regards to preventative health care services. Health educators contribute to legislative changes by way of lobbying or debating government decisions and approaches, either as individuals or as a professional group. Such changes highlight the importance of belonging to a professional organization of health education, as often changes sought are in regards to the profession itself, and the overriding body can lobby for changes to legislation that ensure the optimum standards of pay and working conditions and opportunities for its members.

The professional organization, such as the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc (NHEC), the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), or the American Association for Health Educators (AAHE), are comprised of members who have been awarded certification of achieving a high level of competencies at university. And it is the professional organizations that determine the standards that must be obtained in order to become a member. Thus, there is little room for lay control from those