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Health communication specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Corey Hannah,
Corey Hannah
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical health communication specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for health communication specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.2% of health communication specialist resumes contained health education as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a health communication specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 health communication specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Health Education

Health education refers to education concerning healthcare.

Here's how health communication specialists use health education:
  • Conduct needs assessments to identify educational priorities and needs among diverse audiences interested in public health education.
  • Researched and developed geriatric-focused community health education materials for chronic disease.

2. Patients

Here's how health communication specialists use patients:
  • Developed, revised, and evaluated more than 40 publications for cancer patients, health professionals, and the public.
  • Collaborated with care teams to identify, refer and schedule patients in need of nutritional services.

3. Fact Sheets

A fact sheet is a short, typed or handwritten one-page document that contains the most important information about a specific topic, product, substance, or service in the least amount of space. The aim is to convey key facts and points on a topic in a clear, concise, and easily understandable way and to communicate the most relevant information effectively.

Here's how health communication specialists use fact sheets:
  • Created educational materials including fact sheets, posters, e-newsletters, articles and website content for health communication campaign.
  • Prepared 50 fact sheets, written in plain language, on asthma and allergy topics.

4. Subject Matter Experts

Here's how health communication specialists use subject matter experts:
  • Interview subject matter experts to plan, develop, implement, and create scientific-related stories for our internal audience.
  • Monitor and facilitate Web remediation among a team of subject matter experts and edit content.

5. Web Content

Here's how health communication specialists use web content:
  • Assisted with the development of talking points, web content, and print materials as needed.
  • Write and edit content including materials for web content, policy statements and reports.

6. Health Promotion

Health promotion refers to programs aimed at engaging and empowering individuals to select healthy behaviors.

Here's how health communication specialists use health promotion:
  • Developed nationwide health promotion campaign for children.
  • Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate community based health promotion initiatives.

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7. Community Outreach

Here's how health communication specialists use community outreach:
  • Participated in community outreach activities to encourage the involvement of DC residents in community forums.
  • Hired and trained youth to participate in research projects and community outreach during festivals.

8. Health Professionals

Here's how health communication specialists use health professionals:
  • Work closely with public health professionals to ensure accuracy and consistency.
  • Trained health professionals on cancer survivorship issues.

9. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how health communication specialists use mental health:
  • Handle outreach duties related to chronic disease, mental health, supportive and preventive health services in the community.
  • Accessed national data base of referrals for social services, mental health facilities and health publication distributions.

10. Communication Materials

Here's how health communication specialists use communication materials:
  • Produced communication materials, senior leadership videos, and campaigns to promote Ready CDC.
  • Tracked the progress and status of over 100 H1N1 communication materials in Microsoft Excel.

11. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how health communication specialists use community resources:
  • Bridge gap between the member, the primary care provider, and community resources.
  • Educate members about health benefits and community resources.

12. Communication Strategies

Communication strategies refers to the practice of effectively planning how communication can be used to complete certain objectives. This includes who to speak with, how to communicate (whether by phone, targeted marketing, or social media), and the language used in the message. Communication strategies also focus on the general goals of the communication, whether that is to sell a good or service or promote an idea.

Here's how health communication specialists use communication strategies:
  • Use experience and analytical skills to make sound decisions regarding communication strategies and development processes.

13. Chronic Disease

Here's how health communication specialists use chronic disease:
  • Advocated for policy, environmental and systematic changes to reduce chronic disease and violence and injury for youth and seniors.
  • Developed and provides training to members and employer groups regarding chronic diseases as it relates to trends identified via audits.

14. CDC

Here's how health communication specialists use cdc:
  • Redesigned the security architecture for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS).
  • Coordinate nationwide support group sign up, local quarterly newsletter contribution collection, and nationwide CDC call backs.

15. Press Releases

Here's how health communication specialists use press releases:
  • Conducted media relations, wrote press releases, responded to press calls and assisted in the development of informational campaigns.
  • Coordinated press kits, press releases and press conferences to promote the public image of the agency.
top-skills

What skills help Health Communication Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on health communication specialist resumes?

Corey Hannah

Program Director, Master of Science in Athletic Training, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Things that stand out to me include didactic and clinical experience, team-based approaches to teaching, collaborative models of pedagogy, innovative practices in the classroom and beyond, and an interprofessional approach to both teaching and learning.

What soft skills should all health communication specialists possess?

Corey Hannah

Program Director, Master of Science in Athletic Training, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Empathy, sensitivity, and confidentiality in a medical environment, confidence, and trust to ensure credibility.

What hard/technical skills are most important for health communication specialists?

Corey Hannah

Program Director, Master of Science in Athletic Training, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Content and pedagogical knowledge, ability to transfer knowledge from the classroom to clinical experiences. Faculty and students need to have a sense of problem-solving and critical thinking skills that drives their practice.

What health communication specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Sara Oswalt Ph.D.Sara Oswalt Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Department Chair and Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio

Communication - both oral and written - and contact tracing. In the virtual world, how we communicate in email and online platforms has been increasingly important. As we return to more in-person interactions, these skills -- communicating professional and clearly -- remain important to distinguish yourself from others. If it is possible to get a part-time job as contact tracer, do it. While contact tracing has gained attention because of the pandemic, it's a standard practice in public health related to other infectious diseases and STIs (think back to HIV/AIDS in 1990s). Talking with people about their health and their behaviors is a skill that many graduates don't have "real world" experience in; getting that experience can distinguish your application.

What type of skills will young health communication specialists need?

Nicole Hansen

Director of Mission Advancement, YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne

Along with a four-year degree, new graduates will need to demonstrate good interpersonal skills, a positive attitude, and the ability to be cross-trained into more than one department. People who become "utility players" are more valuable because they can pitch in when the need arises. Graduating with a four-year degree communicates that the student is disciplined, responsible, and mature and manages time. Soft skills are also very important because no one wants to work with someone who isn't friendly or cooperative. Being reliable and dependable is also important, especially when beginning a new job. Employers want to know that you can be counted on to arrive on time and to meet deadlines without constant reminders about the expectations. A successful, newly-graduated employee will be known for stepping up and taking on new assignments with eagerness and confidence. The future is unclear, and we are all looking for the type of person who is ready for the challenges ahead.

List of health communication specialist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a health communication specialist resume and required skills for a health communication specialist to have include:

  • Health Education
  • Patients
  • Fact Sheets
  • Subject Matter Experts
  • Web Content
  • Health Promotion
  • Community Outreach
  • Health Professionals
  • Mental Health
  • Communication Materials
  • Community Resources
  • Communication Strategies
  • Chronic Disease
  • CDC
  • Press Releases
  • Technical Assistance
  • SharePoint
  • Social Services
  • Target Audience
  • Emergency Operations
  • Community Events
  • Marketing Campaigns
  • Provide Technical Assistance
  • Health Programs
  • Educational Materials
  • Communication Plan
  • Risk Reduction
  • Community Agencies
  • External Stakeholders
  • Flyers
  • Communication Products
  • Immunization
  • Community Organizations
  • Public Health Issues
  • Health Fairs
  • Data Collection
  • Hiv Testing
  • Communication Tools
  • STD
  • Promotional Materials
  • Community Coalitions
  • Diabetes
  • PowerPoint
  • Facebook

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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