State of Maryland

A Community Health Educator II is the full performance level of work planning, developing, implementing and promoting health education projects designed to further public awareness and understanding of the factors influencing health status and community health activities and services.  Employees serve as staff assistants with professional responsibilities for health education projects within a program area at the State, regional or local level.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a higher-level Community Health Educator or administrator.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the classification specification.

The Community Health Educator II is differentiated from the Community Health Educator I on the basis of the supervisory controls exercised by the supervisor over these positions.  The Community Health Educator II performs the full range of duties under general supervision while the Community Health Educator I performs duties under close supervision.  The Community Health Educator II is differentiated from the Community Health Educator III in that the Community Health Educator III performs advanced level work and serve as health education consultants in a headquarters administration of the Maryland Department of Health or as Director of Health Education Services in a small local health department or as the Assistant Director of Health Education Services in a large local health department.

Plans, develops, implements and promotes health education projects;

Obtains and utilizes health-related data about social and cultural environments and human growth and development factors to assess community health education needs and interests;

Reviews, evaluates and determines the effective use of educational materials and methods designed to meet the health education needs of the community or of a particular population;

Drafts and pretests health education materials for a particular population;

Makes presentations on health problems and community health programs;

Oversees the development and maintenance of informational resources including health information systems pertinent to community health programs;

Organizes and conducts training programs for staff, volunteers and community groups;

Recruits members of community organizations and other interested parties and encourages citizen participation in community health education projects;

Participates in organizing, planning and presenting educational activities, such as institutes, workshops, and conferences;

Prepares and submits budget estimates for health education activities within the assigned program;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the philosophy, principles, practices, objectives, programs and functions of community health education and environmental change;

Knowledge of educational theories and techniques used to influence attitudes and behavior;

Skill in planning, developing, implementing and promoting health education projects;

Skill in evaluating materials and methods designed to meet the health education needs of a particular population;

Skill in drafting and pre-testing health education curricula, program plans and other materials for a particular population;

Skill in using health education information systems;

Ability to recruit and encourage citizen participation in health education projects;

Ability to organize, plan and arrange educational activities, such as institutes, workshops, and conferences;

Ability to make public presentations on community health education programs;

Ability to communicate effectively;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, officials, individuals and community groups in order to identify health problems and carry out health education programs for the purpose of solving health problems.

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Public Health Education, Community Health Education or Health Science.

Experience: One year of experience planning, developing, implementing and promoting health education projects.

Notes: 

1. Candidates may substitute a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 18 credit hours in Public Health Education, Community Health Education, Health Science or related behavioral science and two years of experience planning, developing, implementing and promoting health education projects for the required education and experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Health Educator and Community Health classifications or Health Educator and Community Health specialty codes in the Public Health field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions that are designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Finance and Procurement Article, Section 3-301, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit E, Health Care Professionals classes. As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial, and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.