Health Educator Job Analysis 30 Years after Role Delineation

My copy of the Spring 2009 issue of The CHES Bulletin arrived in the mail today. It is always a pleasure to read each new issue of this publication and learn the news about NCHEC and CHES. Three things were particularly of interest to me in this issue, including the health educator job analysis project report, the interview with Dr. Helen Cleary, and the list of health educators who have maintained the CHES credential for 20 years.

Credentialing for health educators began with a job analysis survey, which was the first step in the Role Delineation Project launched 30 years ago. Dr. Allan Henderson directed that project. The Framework for Preparation and Practice of Entry-Level Health Educators was a product of the Role Delineation Project. The seven areas of responsibility and competencies published in The Framework served as the foundation for the CHES Exam prior to the Competency Update Project.

It is always a pleasure to read the responses of Dr. Helen Cleary to interview questions. She has a quick wit and gives sage advice. Helen was the Chair of the National Task Force on Preparation and Practice of Health Educators, which provided oversight of the Role Delineation Project, develoment of The Framework, and, a year after she retired, chartering the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC).

Reviewing the list of health educators who were chartered CHES and have maintained this credential for 20 years caused some mixed emotions. Some of those chartered in 1989 have deceased, thus their names do not appear on the list. That is a bit sad. There are a few who waited until the CHES Exam was developed. They wanted to earn the CHES credential by taking the exam. Naturally, their names are not on the list. The number in the latter group is probably very small, but some of them are very important leaders of our field.

It was certainly rewarding to find many of my colleagues with whom I have enjoyed both professional and social contacts over the past 20, 30, or 40 years on the list of those maintaining the CHES credential for 20 years. Of course, there were a good number listed whom I have not knowingly met or had contact. The good part about this is that we had a wide array of our colleagues become chartered and maintain the credential for two full decades.

It sure is rewarding for those of us who helped establish NCHEC and the CHES credential to see that there are over 8000 health educators currently active holders of CHES. May our profession continue to grow and our credentials contribute to the respect members of it receive within the greater society.