Health Educator jobs in Massachusetts

Overview

The Health Educator serves as community resources regarding reproductive and sexual health, with the goal of assisting individuals, groups, families and communities in the acquisition of skills and competencies related to making healthy life choices and breaking unhealthy habits. The Health Educator, under the direction of the Program Coordinator, is responsible for overall health communication activity, and teaching students about behaviors that promote wellness during programming in the public schools, afterschool programs, and at events in the Southbridge community. The Health Educator provides sexual health education to students ages 9-24 in the community of Southbridge.

This 12-month position works flexible hours during the summer and then in the schools primarily during school hours (M-F 7:30am – 3:30pm) throughout the school year. The Health Educator will receive extensive training in evidence-based curriculum to be implemented in schools and in the community of Southbridge, and will teach as a team for the first quarter of the school year before teaching independently. The health educator will use appropriate strategies, and methods to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention. This unique position allows the health educator to connect youth and their families to community support services within and outside of YOU Inc. This position requires reliable transportation to get back and forth from the schools and community settings to the office throughout the day.

Responsibilities

1. Provides client/student support and intervention, curriculum-based groups and community connections to adolescents and their families as part of the Voices with Choices team within a school-setting and within the community.2. Teaches Teen Pregnancy Prevention education through science-based curricula, community trainings and other educational events.3. Design programming, coordinate service projects, and leads activities and games in the teen Peer Leadership Club.4. Acts as a support and liaison to teachers within the school health department.5. Maintain records, notes, reports, summaries and any other paperwork as required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and agency/program policies and procedures.6. Connects adolescents to community youth support agencies (included but not limited to Y.O.U. Inc programs and services and other community organizations).7. Assess client needs for health education, including change readiness.8. Maintain current knowledge of family planning, growth and development, sexually transmitted diseases and other sexual health related concerns.9. Conduct health education in public school health classes. 10. Help develop, identify, implement and improve client education material and other tools that encourage healthy decisions 11. Represent the agency in the community in a positive manner; Communicate and advocate effectively for health and health education.

Qualifications

• Detail-oriented and self-motivated.• The ideal candidate will have excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills and an ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment. • Strong organizational and computer skills required. • The candidate must be able to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends and have a valid driver’s license and their own transportation.• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.• Able to listen well, accurately communicate ideas, and to work well in a team.• Personal integrity and a willingness to abide by the organization’s mission in performing all job duties are required. • Associates degree in related field combined with experience working with youth in a public school setting. Minimum qualifications = High School degree.• Must have a passion for educating others about sensitive topics; believe that individuals have the right to manage their own sexual health; have comfort and skill in public speaking, to both small and large groups; be sensitive to different opinions, sentiments and cultural beliefs; and have a clear idea of your own comfort level talking about sexual topics.