How to hire a health educator

How to hire a health educator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step health educator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a health educator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new health educator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a health educator do?

Post a health educator job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the health educator you need to hire. Certain health educator roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect health educator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of health educators and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Health Educator	Description	Hourly rate
   Health Educator	Health educators teach people about behaviors that promote wellness. They develop and implement strategies to improve the health of individuals and communities... Show more	$14-27
   Public Health Representative	Public Health Representatives, as a career choice, will require developed people skills, valuation of difference and diversity, creativity and adaptability, and analysis and interpretation of information. Most will have at least a bachelor's degree, and experience in other jobs can be a plus... Show more	$18-33
   Community Health Worker	A community health worker is a health professional who is a lay member of the community that provides health care in both urban and rural environments. Community health workers offer the health needs of the community they serve and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening... Show more	$12-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Public Health
   • Patients
   • Community Health
   • Health Promotion
   • Health Education Programs
   • Diabetes
   • Blood Pressure
   • Weight Management
   • Community Outreach
   • Mental Health
   • PowerPoint
   • Patient Care
   • Social Work
   • Health Education Materials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage day-to-day evolving aspects of the HHS Zika virus response.
   • Engage with members' telephonically, using motivational interviewing techniques to assist members' in achieving their health goals.
   • Work with an interdisciplinary staff within HHS and across other federal agencies.
   • Support of Norton patients by telephone providing information for community resources for new mothers and providing medical counseling concerning their prenatal/postnatal condition
   • Recertify in CPR and first aid training
   • Enroll medical entities to receive NYC DOHMH quarterly report/semi-annual report profiling epidemic of HIV/AIDS in NYC.

   More health educator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your health educator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A health educator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, health educators' average salary in florida is 37% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level health educators 48% less than senior-level health educators.
   • Certifications. A health educator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a health educator's salary.

   Average health educator salary

   $42,570yearly

   $20.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health educator salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average health educator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$56,380	$27
   2	Oregon	$55,612	$27
   3	Maryland	$55,508	$27
   4	California	$55,237	$27
   5	Washington	$54,588	$26
   6	Nevada	$51,950	$25
   7	Indiana	$49,885	$24
   8	Colorado	$49,460	$24
   9	Virginia	$49,446	$24
   10	Louisiana	$49,185	$24
   11	Wisconsin	$46,520	$22
   12	Oklahoma	$46,194	$22
   13	New Jersey	$45,985	$22
   14	Pennsylvania	$44,503	$21
   15	New York	$44,360	$21
   16	Massachusetts	$43,668	$21
   17	Georgia	$43,450	$21
   18	Utah	$40,897	$20
   19	Illinois	$40,211	$19
   20	Arizona	$40,045	$19

   Average health educator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The New York Foundling	$55,150	$26.51	1
   2	Ascensus	$52,913	$25.44
   3	Prime Healthcare	$52,782	$25.38	10
   4	Memorial Health	$52,716	$25.34
   5	City of Baltimore	$52,199	$25.10	1
   6	Methodist Health System	$51,736	$24.87	6
   7	Hospital of St Raphael	$51,485	$24.75
   8	University of California-Berkeley	$50,906	$24.47
   9	Ac Home Health Agency	$50,728	$24.39
   10	UC Santa Barbara	$49,445	$23.77
   11	Geisinger Medical Center	$49,263	$23.68	5
   12	Erlanger Health System	$49,117	$23.61	7
   13	YOUMAN	$48,964	$23.54
   14	Maricopa Unified School District	$48,908	$23.51
   15	Healthcare Insights	$48,562	$23.35
   16	Antelope Valley Hospital	$48,522	$23.33
   17	Hawaii Pacific Health	$48,492	$23.31	8
   18	Shields Nursing Centers	$47,931	$23.04
   19	Trustmark Insurance Co	$47,653	$22.91	10
   20	University of California	$47,537	$22.85	22

4. Writing a health educator job description

   A job description for a health educator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a health educator job description:

   Health educator job description example

   Atlantic Health System is currently seeking a full time Health Educator to work 8am to 4pm and every other weekend as needed in the Integrated Care department.
   Responsibilities Essential Functions: Research, develop and implement relevant evidenced-based curriculum and collateral health education material to expand health awareness and knowledge of and access to health services. Assist in planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating health education programs targeted to populations spanning children through seniors.
   * Participate in health fairs, neighborhood community activities, screenings, and special events, maintaining responsibility for coordinating on-site display, volunteers, engagement with community members and organizations. Disseminate health system collateral and culturally-appropriate health information and health promotion resources.
   * Conduct and manage educational presentations for the community based upon topics of interest and regional health priorities. Maintain program and event participation and evaluation records, statistics and community benefit reporting, and monitoring and reporting program impact.
   * Assist in planning, developing and coordinating culturally-sensitive health education programs and collateral material, utilizing appropriate literacy level and language, and facilitating translation of programming and collateral materials in Spanish or other languages.
   * Provide direct community outreach to targeted populations according to AHS Community Health initiatives and act as a liaison, connecting community members and community organizations with AHS services and initiatives.
   * Act as an ambassador for AHS services and access points, assisting community members in navigating the health care system, accessing a physician/specialist or service, and championing health system access initiatives, including online health management tools, physician referral service, and e-news.
   * Manage administrative tasks around scheduling and correspondence for community education programming, community health events, and outreach. Develop and maintain updated contact lists related to community health lectures, events, and internal/external meetings, and key community stakeholders and partner organizations.
   * Serve on internal hospital committees and community-based health coalitions related to targeted populations and health priorities, such as geriatrics, pediatrics, substance use, chronic disease, underserved populations, etc. and identify opportunities for partnership and engagement around population health, community engagement and health improvement initiatives. Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with community partner organizations and public health entities. Qualifications Education: Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Education, or other health-related field; Master's in Public Health preferred, CHES preferred. Bilingual Spanish-speaking a plus
   . Qualifications/Requirements: Two+ years of experience providing health and wellness promotion programs within the health care / community sector.
   Strong written and verbal communication skills and skilled in delivery of health education topics to diverse populations.
   Experience with organizing, managing and evaluating health and wellness initiatives
   Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and working knowledge of various health and social issues affecting communities and populations.
   Valid Driver's License required. About Us Atlantic Health System aims to deliver the highest quality, safety and care combined the best experience for our patients and their families. We are confident that you will find success within Atlantic Health System, which has been named for the 14th year in a row to Fortune's “Top 100 Best U.S. Companies to Work For” list. We believe you will find that our culture of collaboration and care exemplifies the value we place on our patients, their families and our employees. EEO Statement Atlantic Health System, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor and therefore abides by applicable laws to protect applicants and employees from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, citizenship status, disability, age, genetics, or veteran status. Not Ready to apply? Stay connected with us to learn more about upcoming career opportunities and onsite Recruitment events. Connect with us

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find health educators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your health educator job on Zippia to find and recruit health educator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit health educators, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new health educator

   Once you've found the health educator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new health educator. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a health educator?