Health education didn’t get its official start until 1978, which makes this profession fairly new in comparison to others. Helen Cleary contributed to the credentialing of health educators and health education programs. She pursued this project with the help of outside expertise. On February 1978, a conference was held in Bethesda, Maryland to determine the commonalities and differences in the function of health education and the commonalities and differences in the preparation of health education. The conference concluded with the decision that health education was one profession that needed a credentialing system. Those on the conference committee were asked to remain a task force in order to develop a credentialing system. This is where the National Task Force on the Preparation and Practice of Health Educators originated. The Role Delineation Project received funding in January 1979 and had the challenging task of defining the role of a health education specialist. This task force used surveys and created a curriculum framework to provide a frame reference to develop a curriculum. The Competencies Update Project came approximately 30 years after the Role Delineation Project and was conducted by a three-person steering committee. This project re-verified the competencies and sub-competencies of the health education specialist.
There are seven Areas of Responsibility within the health education profession, which contain four to seven competencies under each responsibility. I have provided sub-pages of each responsibility and how I plan to fulfill these in my future profession. The first Area of Responsibility is to assess needs, assets, and capacity for health education. This is a planned, systematic collection of data about a specific health issue, perception, attitude, motivation, and/or practice of an individual. The seven competencies under this area are the following: plan the assessment process, access existing information and data related to the health issue, collect quantitative and/or qualitative data related to health, examine relationships among behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors that enhance or compromise health, examine factors that influence the learning process, examine factors that enhance or compromise the process of health education, and infer needs for health education based on their assessment findings. The second are is plan health education. The program planning has to begin with an assessment of the existing health needs, problems, or concerns of a certain population. The competencies of this area are the following: involve priority populations and other stakeholders in the planning process, develop goals and objectives, select or design strategies and interventions, develop a scope and sequence for the delivery of health education, and address factors that affect implementation. Area three is implementing health education, which is where health specialists educate and motivate people in pursuit of healthy behaviors. The competencies for this area are implementing a plan of action, monitoring implementation of health education, and training individuals involved on how to implement health education. The fourth area is conducting evaluation and research related to health education. This is expected of health education specialists to properly conduct thorough reviews of the literature they research and apply it in the most basic and evaluative form. The competencies for this area are development of an evaluation/research plan, designing instruments to collect and evaluate research data, the collection and analyzing of evaluation/research data, interpretation of the results of the evaluation/research, and application of the findings. Area five is administering and managing health education, which is where health education specialists are trained to be system thinkers so they can successfully function in multiple roles in the community, groups, and with individuals. The competencies for this area are managing fiscal resources such as budget programs, obtaining acceptance and support for programs, demonstrating leadership, managing human resources, and facilitating partnerships in support of health education. Responsibility six is serving as a health education resource person. The nature of a health education specialist’s resources largely depends on their knowledge and functions. They must be a valid, reliable resource for health information. The competencies for this area are obtaining and disseminating information, providing training, and serving as a health education consultant. The final area is communicating and advocating for health and health education. This is where health education specialists must provide information to diverse audiences. A health education specialist must be culturally competent. The competencies of this final Area of Responsibility are assessing/prioritizing health information and advocacy of needs, identifying and developing a variety of communication strategies, methods, and techniques, delivering messages using a variety of strategies, methods, and techniques, engaging in health education advocacy, influencing policies to promote health to the public, and promotion the health education profession as a whole. These seven Areas of Responsibility are important for every health education specialist to fulfill when serving in this profession.
There are seven Areas of Responsibility within the health education profession, which contain four to seven competencies under each responsibility. I have provided sub-pages of each responsibility and how I plan to fulfill these in my future profession. The first Area of Responsibility is to assess needs, assets, and capacity for health education. This is a planned, systematic collection of data about a specific health issue, perception, attitude, motivation, and/or practice of an individual. The seven competencies under this area are the following: plan the assessment process, access existing information and data related to the health issue, collect quantitative and/or qualitative data related to health, examine relationships among behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors that enhance or compromise health, examine factors that influence the learning process, examine factors that enhance or compromise the process of health education, and infer needs for health education based on their assessment findings. The second are is plan health education. The program planning has to begin with an assessment of the existing health needs, problems, or concerns of a certain population. The competencies of this area are the following: involve priority populations and other stakeholders in the planning process, develop goals and objectives, select or design strategies and interventions, develop a scope and sequence for the delivery of health education, and address factors that affect implementation. Area three is implementing health education, which is where health specialists educate and motivate people in pursuit of healthy behaviors. The competencies for this area are implementing a plan of action, monitoring implementation of health education, and training individuals involved on how to implement health education. The fourth area is conducting evaluation and research related to health education. This is expected of health education specialists to properly conduct thorough reviews of the literature they research and apply it in the most basic and evaluative form. The competencies for this area are development of an evaluation/research plan, designing instruments to collect and evaluate research data, the collection and analyzing of evaluation/research data, interpretation of the results of the evaluation/research, and application of the findings. Area five is administering and managing health education, which is where health education specialists are trained to be system thinkers so they can successfully function in multiple roles in the community, groups, and with individuals. The competencies for this area are managing fiscal resources such as budget programs, obtaining acceptance and support for programs, demonstrating leadership, managing human resources, and facilitating partnerships in support of health education. Responsibility six is serving as a health education resource person. The nature of a health education specialist’s resources largely depends on their knowledge and functions. They must be a valid, reliable resource for health information. The competencies for this area are obtaining and disseminating information, providing training, and serving as a health education consultant. The final area is communicating and advocating for health and health education. This is where health education specialists must provide information to diverse audiences. A health education specialist must be culturally competent. The competencies of this final Area of Responsibility are assessing/prioritizing health information and advocacy of needs, identifying and developing a variety of communication strategies, methods, and techniques, delivering messages using a variety of strategies, methods, and techniques, engaging in health education advocacy, influencing policies to promote health to the public, and promotion the health education profession as a whole. These seven Areas of Responsibility are important for every health education specialist to fulfill when serving in this profession.