Understanding and Supporting the Health Education Specialist Role in Clinical Settings

There is a persistent misunderstanding in the interdisciplinary field of public health, particularly regarding the roles and titles associated with health education specialists. The confusion necessitates a focus on collaboration, professional development, and standardizing terms within the realm of public health, health education, and health education specialists. To contribute to clarifying these roles, a qualitative exploratory case study was conducted, specifically examining the challenges and skills of health education specialists in clinical care or hospital settings. During three virtual focus group discussions, 13 participants who were selected through convenience sampling from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing expressed their perspectives. Thematic analysis revealed key themes associated with challenges that included respect, buy-in, and prioritization. Concerning skills, the data indicated an overlap when assessing the most and least utilized skills of health education specialists. The application of skills correlated to size of the health care system or clinical care setting as well as the title and function of the health education specialist. Those working in larger health care systems primarily utilized fewer skills as their tasks and efforts were more concentrated. The implications for practice suggest that health care organizations can fully utilize and integrate health education specialists with concerted efforts on buy-in from executive leadership, professional growth, and clear communication to promote awareness of the role. These efforts will empower health education specialists to elevate their expertise, bring awareness to the profession, and enhance the quality of patient education.