Health educators may work in a variety of settings. The most common opportunities are listed below.  But there are many alternative settings, such as pharmaceutical medical supply companies, care centers, media, and international settings. The greatest challenge is educating potential employers about the skills and abilities of health educators. There is no specific job description or role identification similar to other health related fields like dental assistant, nurse, physical therapist, lab technician.

GOVERNMENT/COMMUNITY SETTINGS
Many professionals are employed in the government: state, county and local health departments. A typical job announcement will include skills such as: planning and coordinating health education activities, identifying and assessing target populations, conducting teacher in-service workshops, counseling in health lifestyle topics, developing curricula/media campaigns, conducting pre-program and post-program surveys, doing follow-up evaluations with participants, providing screening services for blood pressure, cholesterol, and body fat measurement.

Non-profit organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, Utah AIDS Foundation, American Diabetes Association, hire one or two health educators who are usually in charge of fund raising and directing special events, among other tasks. Other requirements include making presentations, implementing community awareness programs, creating curricula and materials for dissemination, in-servicing teachers, recruiting and training volunteers. Although salaries are low, these agencies are good entry level positions.

CORPORATE SETTINGS
One of the most promising areas for employment of health educators is the worksite setting. Ranging from a full scale worksite program ( Franklin Quest, Northwest Pipeline) to contracting with small business to assess their employees health and then follow-up with education (Heart at Work). In order to be more marketable in the corporate setting and be able to do the necessary testing and then "prescribe" for individuals in the area of fitness, a student should pursue several courses in Exercise and Sports Science. The following classes are recommended: Biology 2315 (Anatomy-prereq), ESS 2790 (Kinesiology), ESS 2791 (Physiology of Fitness), ESS 3670 (Exercise: Health and Cultural Perspective), and ESS 4670 (Active Lifestyles: Effects and Challenges). If you want to be able to pass the ACSM certification test you would need to take ESS 4300 and 4310 instead of ESS 3670 and 4670. ESS 4465 is also highly recommended whether you want to take the certification test or not.

CLINICAL SETTINGS
Some health educators are hired in the clinical setting, but these opportunities are still very few. Job requirements include patient education on individual and group bases, needs assessment skills, program development, implementation and evaluation skills. A clinical background is very advantageous.

PUBLIC SCHOOL SETTINGS
School health education track students are prepared and certified to teach in the public schools. They are employed by various school districts. The teaching positions in secondary education are limited, and the turn-over rate is low.  The skills needed in this track do not include the competencies required of a community health educator (i.e., research, assessment, planning, marketing, evaluation).

To broaden the possibilities for employment, you may consider pursuing the community/school health track, a combination track that requires approximately eight more hours of class. See department advisor for specific information. This option would provide more opportunities for you beyond the public school classroom.