Careers in Health Promotion
Health and Wellness Manager
A health and wellness manager works with groups or individuals to ensure that they engage in healthy, safe habits. Someone in this position may work:
- for a company, managing the health and wellness of employees
- for a gym or fitness center, ensuring that equipment is safe and fitness programs are well-implemented
- with individuals to help them build healthy habits and routines
Health and wellness managers often spend much of their time designing and implementing fitness routines or educating their clients or coworkers in health-related topics.
Public Health Lobbyist
Lobbyists work to persuade members of government to take specific courses of action or pursue specific legislation; public health lobbyists work with government officials to promote health-related legislation. Public health lobbyists must have excellent research skills and a good working knowledge of the law as it relates to healthcare. They must be excellent communicators, as the most important function of a lobbyist’s job is to convince politicians to take specific actions. A lobbyist must maintain a constant presence within the political arena and work to build relationships with politicians, business leaders and other influencers.
Childbirth Health Educator
Childbirth health educators work closely with expectant mothers to educate them about the risks and health-related issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. They instruct and educate groups and individuals on breathing techniques, pain-management techniques, medical issues such as gestational diabetes, and child care. Childbirth health educators work with expectant mothers to provide resources they can use through pregnancy and motherhood, to answer questions and to conduct seminars.
Consumer Safety Officer
Consumer safety officers ensure compliance with safety regulations. They work in a variety of industries, and their primary function is to inspect equipment and products in order to ensure their safety and compliance with governmental regulations. They may be called on to create procedures for inspection and to implement them or train others to do so. Consumer safety officers must frequently work with data in order to detect changes or anomalies. The largest employer of consumer safety officers is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); officers for the FDA ensure that foods, medicines and the equipment used to make them conform to safety standards.
Injury Prevention Specialist
Injury prevention specialists typically inspect workplaces in order to evaluate their safety for employees and those who visit the area. Their job is to minimize workplace injury and accidents. An injury prevention specialist spends time observing environments and current safety practices and evaluating their safety and efficacy. They then work to make improvements to environments and procedures, both by making changes and by educating workers in how best to implement safety procedures and what to do in the case of an injury or accident.
Starting a Career in Health Promotion
Careers in health promotion are varied and rewarding. An online B.S. Public Health degree from Rivier University provides students with the skills and knowledge they need in order to advocate for and educate others to live healthier, safer lives.