Position Summary
The Health Educator will promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health by assisting individuals and patient groups in adopting healthy behaviors. The Health Educator will collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. The Health Educator will also seek opportunities to create and implement health education events and initiatives for the community. They will also serve as a resource to assist other collaboratives, professionals, or the community through health education programs.
General Responsibilities
- Responsible for the development of implementation strategies designed to improve the health of Hamilton patients. Assesses the needs of Hamilton patients and develops programs to address these needs.
- Provides support and guidance to patients and their families to foster timely delivery of quality, accessible health education services.
- Provides group education to patients and their families.
- Partners with Hamilton providers and external agencies to ensure patient care objectives are met through health education.
- Partners with other departments within Hamilton to establish and implement quality health education events and initiatives for the community.
- Provides individualized, client-centered health education to patients and/or family members.
- Develops age-specific and culturally appropriate health education messages and materials for distribution to patients.
- Facilitates patient learning groups on topics including, but not limited to; nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation, reproductive health, and disease prevention.
- Will collaborate with Community Health Workers when appropriate to deliver health education to target patient populations.
- Will work with our providers to have them connect patients to our Health Education programs and services, as well as any community and social support resources.
- Provides guidance to patients and their families as they navigate through the components of the health care system.
- Collects and analyzes patient outcome data, and provides reports as needed.
- Manages program objectives, interventions, and outcomes; and assesses impact on target population.
- Conducts routine evaluations of programs, and makes recommendations for improvement.
- Participates in various task forces or committees addressing health education program needs.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Education and/or Experience
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion, Health Education, Public Health, or a related field.
- Minimum of two (2) years of experience working in the field of community health or health education.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Health Promotion, Health Education, Public Health or a related field.
- Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certification
OR
- An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job as listed above.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Ability to be a team player. Support and assist team members. Be available to help and learn from the team.
- Ability to always demonstrate the highest level of performance and behavior standards.
- Ability to be a self-starter who can prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
- Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with parents, child/adolescent patients, medical providers, and all staff.
- Knowledge of computers and data entry procedures, including EMR, Microsoft Excel and Word.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality in all matters.
- Ability to communicate with patients to resolve issues.
- Flexible, with the ability to work independently and with minimal guidance.
- Strong oral and written communication and presentational skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills to effectively and tactfully deal with a diverse group of patients, staff, customers, and community groups.
- Must be able to travel with the use of a personal vehicle.
- Must possess the ability to read and interpret documents.
- Must possess the ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
- Must possess the ability to speak effectively before groups and actively engage the general public in outreach situations.
- Must possess the ability to interact respectfully with diverse cultural and socio-economic populations.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
- The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, or crouch.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Specific vision requirements include the ability to see at close range.
- At times, may require more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
- At times, may require working weekends and evenings.
- Fine hand manipulation (keyboarding).
- Travel between sites using own vehicle.
Work is partially performed (60%) in a normal, pleasant office environment. A portion of work time (40%) will be spent performing in-field education activities. Duties will require travel throughout the Health organizations service area. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.
