Employers' Perceptions of the Importance of Entry Level Health Education Skills

The purpose of this study was to investigate employers' perceptions of the importance of the practice of health education skills within their organizations. A survey was developed which described entry level skills performed by health educators. Mail surveys were returned from 74 community agencies and 43 worksites. Skills were ranked according to importance, and differences in ratings provided by worksite and community setting participants were identified. Respondents also described who performed these skills within their organizations so that it could be determined if they were being performed by health educators. The priority placed on different skills varied between settings. Respondents from community settings rated (1) communicating needs and (2) acting as a resource as significantly more important than respondents from worksite settings. The majority of respondents from both settings also reported that these entry level skills were being performed by an employee other than a health educator within their organizations. The implication of these findings to health education are discussed.