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Health coach vs public health educator

The differences between health coaches and public health educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a health coach and a public health educator. Additionally, a health coach has an average salary of $38,671, which is higher than the $38,330 average annual salary of a public health educator.

The top three skills for a health coach include customer service, patients and optimal health. The most important skills for a public health educator are health promotion, public health education, and disease prevention.

Health coach vs public health educator overview

Health CoachPublic Health Educator
Yearly salary$38,671$38,330
Hourly rate$18.59$18.43
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs63,12964,547
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4343
Years of experience44

What does a health coach do?

A Health Coach is an individual health educator who provides lifestyle and behavior guidance. They work with clients to help them feel their best through food and lifestyle changes.

What does a public health educator do?

Public Health Educators will require strong communication, work ethic, teamwork, initiative, and good interpersonal and problem-solving skills in this career. Another requirement is a bachelor's degree in education. For a yearly pay of $40K to $50K, this position calls upon the provision of wellness information to the public concerning health and safety for specific communities, as well as working with other healthcare professionals and public health departments for identification and addressing of trends within a population.

Health coach vs public health educator salary

Health coaches and public health educators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health CoachPublic Health Educator
Average salary$38,671$38,330
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $55,000Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying CityEureka, CAStockton, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyMassachusetts General HospitalState University of New York College at Cortland
Best paying industryHealth CareEducation

Differences between health coach and public health educator education

There are a few differences between a health coach and a public health educator in terms of educational background:

Health CoachPublic Health Educator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorNursingPublic Health
Most common collegeUniversity of Minnesota - Twin CitiesUniversity of Florida

Health coach vs public health educator demographics

Here are the differences between health coaches' and public health educators' demographics:

Health CoachPublic Health Educator
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 20.9% Female, 79.1%Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.2% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.5% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage21%21%

Differences between health coach and public health educator duties and responsibilities

Health coach example responsibilities.

  • Participate in workshops and offer lectures on various health topics, aim toward prevention and management of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
  • Motivate staff to participate in lunch time yoga and strength training exercises as well as cooking demos and office nutrition trivia.
  • Promote, educate and assist individuals in health management including diabetes management, nutrition, stress management and tobacco cessation.
  • Obtain CPR certification before the summer program begin.
  • Maintain and control all hippa-relate patient documentation via EMR.
  • Perform all job duties in compliance with HIPAA guidelines and company confidentiality policies.
  • Show more

Public health educator example responsibilities.

  • Engage with members' telephonically, using motivational interviewing techniques to assist members' in achieving their health goals.
  • Design new survey tool using qualitative and quantitative methods to monitor and evaluate quality of immunization programs at county health departments.
  • Direct communication with the public on a variety of health issues relating to STDs and HIV
  • Communicate with individuals, couples and groups regarding STDs and HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment.
  • Design marketing Powerpoint presentations within company target market guidelines.
  • Use twitter, eCards, Listservs, Facebook, RSS feeds, and podcast to promote health campaigns.
  • Show more

Health coach vs public health educator skills

Common health coach skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Optimal Health, 11%
  • Disease Management, 6%
  • Ongoing Support, 5%
  • Nutrition Education, 5%
Common public health educator skills
  • Health Promotion, 10%
  • Public Health Education, 8%
  • Disease Prevention, 7%
  • Health Education Programs, 6%
  • Community Outreach, 4%
  • Chronic Disease, 4%

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