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What is a health communication specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Ted Eaves

Health communication specialists help people get a clear idea of medical treatment options and provide information about how lifestyle choices may contribute to maintaining good health and staving off disease. They function as marketing specialists of sorts, but instead of spreading word about products, they disseminate knowledge about health and wellbeing.

A health communication specialist identifies factors that pose risks to public health and find areas that could use improvement. They design printed and online educational materials related to health issues and oversee communication campaigns.

Giving workshops and releasing communications to the press about potential public health risks is also their job. They are responsible for evaluating current programs in place and proposing improved health initiatives where they see fit.

What general advice would you give to a health communication specialist?

Ted Eaves

Associate teaching professor, Wake Forest University

For general advice for graduates with a degree in Kinesiology, I would suggest finding an area that you are passionate about. There are a lot of different directions that graduates can take after school such as health care, research, clinical applications, behavioral medicine, pharmaceutical/device sales, and insurance or other business related programs.
ScoreHealth Communication SpecialistUS Average
Salary
3.9

Avg. Salary $49,493

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.9

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.23%

Asian 5.64%

Black or African American 9.94%

Hispanic or Latino 14.16%

Unknown 6.17%

White 62.86%

Gender

female 71.06%

male 28.94%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Health communication specialist career paths

Key steps to become a health communication specialist

  1. Explore health communication specialist education requirements

    Most common health communication specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.0 %

    Master's

    24.4 %

    Associate

    6.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific health communication specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Health Education10.24%
    Patients9.45%
    Fact Sheets4.52%
    Subject Matter Experts4.22%
    Web Content4.18%
  3. Complete relevant health communication specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health communication specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a health communication specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health communication specialist resumes.
  4. Research health communication specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Work with patients at clinic to gain access and use patient portal to manage health care.
    • Provide communications support to CDC emergency operations.
    • Collaborate with care teams to identify, refer and schedule patients in need of nutritional services.
    • Conduct and document outreach activities to evaluate immunization needs in assign areas.
  5. Prepare your health communication specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your health communication specialist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a health communication specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable health communication specialist resume templates

    Build a professional health communication specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your health communication specialist resume.
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
    Health Communication Specialist Resume
  6. Apply for health communication specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a health communication specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first health communication specialist job

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Average health communication specialist salary

The average health communication specialist salary in the United States is $49,493 per year or $24 per hour. Health communication specialist salaries range between $34,000 and $71,000 per year.

Average health communication specialist salary
$49,493 Yearly
$23.79 hourly

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How do health communication specialists rate their job?

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Health communication specialist reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Cons

Not teaming up because I trust team work is always the best to acquire knowledge and provide good result.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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