What does a health specialist do?
A health specialist is primarily responsible for the health and welfare care of patients in a community or medical facility. They are also responsible for providing consultations, conducting assessments and examinations, providing prescriptions, and recommending care methods. A health specialist may also diagnose and treat ailments and injuries, coordinate with other health experts, and discuss conditions with patients and their families. Furthermore, a health specialist may participate in public discussions to raise awareness of health issues and lifestyles.
Health specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real health specialist resumes:
- Manage and maintain medical and legal case files in compliance with HIPAA.
- Hire, manage payroll and provide oversight for research and administrative assistants.
- Provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to disable veterans and other eligible individuals.
- Coordinate and facilitate workgroup and committee meetings.
- Assist in running a life skills group for young adults with autism.
- Work one-on-one with an individual who have autism and are visually impair.
- Utilize Microsoft programs (word, excel, outlook, access, PowerPoint . )
- Submit timely and accurate billing data and require paperwork on EMR or as directed.
- Work closely with customers to assist them with their livestock and pet needs and questions.
- Facilitate providers' applications, payments, and verify qualifications for incentive payments from CMS.
- Educate the new hires on the most efficient way to upload and index the EMR.
- Oversee ongoing service coordinators at contract agencies ensuring services meet the developmental needs of eligible children.
- Train staff on the use of SharePoint for file editing and retention and on social media best practices.
- Train medical response team members in basic first aid, CPR, splinting, immobilization, triage, etc.
- Review policies for input, assist in training, mentor service coordinators, and participate in administrative and managers meetings.
Health specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Health Specialists are proficient in Patients, Health Education, and Public Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Physical stamina, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Health Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 12%
Gathered data on specific patients and then analyzed this information to develop new ways to increase productivity and efficiency.
- Health Education, 8%
Develop procedures and policies related to health education and services projects, especially breast cancer awareness education, screening and counseling.
- Public Health, 8%
Identify public health recommendations and interventions including best practices.
- Data Collection, 6%
Project implementation Data analysis Recruiting & field based data collection General support and project development
- Veterans, 5%
Provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals.
- Technical Assistance, 5%
Provide technical assistance to providers and stakeholders about system changes and billing for preventive services through online training modules.
Common skills that a health specialist uses to do their job include "patients," "health education," and "public health." You can find details on the most important health specialist responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a health specialist to have is ability to use technology. Their role and responsibilities require that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Health specialists often use ability to use technology in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provide training to federal agencies including cbp, fda, ars, and fs. "
Physical stamina. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling health specialist duties is physical stamina. The role rewards competence in this skill because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and be able to travel regularly." According to a health specialist resume, here's how health specialists can utilize physical stamina in their job responsibilities: "service lines included home health skilled nursing, physical/occupational/speech therapies and hospice services. "
Detail oriented. health specialists are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to health specialist responsibilities, because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians need to understand and follow safety standards and complex government regulations." A health specialist resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "explained plan details to patients. "
Communication skills. health specialist responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers." This resume example shows what health specialists do with communication skills on a typical day: "provided technical assistance for behavior change communications (bcc) campaigns. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for health specialist responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of health specialists all the time, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to solve problems in order to design and implement workplace processes and procedures that help protect workers from hazardous conditions." An excerpt from a real health specialist resume shows how this skill is central to what a health specialist does: "provide effective and timely crisis intervention for placement services and work with community agencies to find appropriate solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most health specialists are:
- ICF53 health specialists jobs
- Pfizer28 health specialists jobs
- TherapeuticsMD
14 health specialists jobs
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Compare different health specialists
Health specialist vs. Safety representative
A safety representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing. They also submit incident reports to the safety manager and provide recommendations to minimize risks and practice emergency drills. A safety representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills to create a safe environment for operations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between health specialists and safety representative. For instance, health specialist responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "health education," "public health," and "data collection." Whereas a safety representative is skilled in "safety procedures," "corrective action," "safety program," and "safety training." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Safety representatives earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $68,912. On the other hand, health specialists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $56,603.The education levels that safety representatives earn slightly differ from health specialists. In particular, safety representatives are 9.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a health specialist. Additionally, they're 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Health specialist vs. Safety officer
A safety officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real health specialist resumes. While health specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "health education," "public health," "data collection," and "veterans," safety officers use skills like "patrol," "safety procedures," "safety program," and "risk management."
On average, safety officers earn a lower salary than health specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, safety officers earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $59,274. Whereas health specialists have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $56,603.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Safety officers tend to reach lower levels of education than health specialists. In fact, they're 7.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for health specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Erika Austin
Associate Professor, Associate Dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Health specialist vs. Safety instructor
The duties and responsibilities include coordinating classes on safety procedures, advising management on problems and possible solutions, and meeting safety compliance requirements.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a health specialist is likely to be skilled in "patients," "health education," "public health," and "data collection," while a typical safety instructor is skilled in "powerpoint," "course materials," "safety courses," and "training classes."
When it comes to education, safety instructors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to health specialists. In fact, they're 6.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Health specialist vs. Community health internship
A community health intern is responsible for assisting the community staff with the health services and responsibilities for the citizens. Community health interns should help in identifying health opportunities, provide solutions for community health problems, and inform citizens of health issues. They also suggest programs promote a healthy environment, research and create reports on health education, and communicate with health departments for health services. A community health intern must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as time-management and the ability to multi-task to perform duties in a fast-paced environment under minimal supervision.
Types of health specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
