Subject(s)
Leadership , Mentors , Public Health Practice , Staff Development/methods , Humans , Program DevelopmentABSTRACT
Clearly articulating one's professional purpose and professional values can clarify career direction as well as provide inspiration and ongoing career motivation for emerging, established, and senior health education professionals. Through examples and exercises, this article provides a method for clarifying and using professional values and purpose statements for health education professionals.
Subject(s)
Career Mobility , Health Education/organization & administration , Health Promotion/organization & administration , Humans , Job SatisfactionABSTRACT
A career in health education or health promotion (HE/HP) can be developed in many ways. In past editions of this department, career development has been discussed in relation to distance (Balonna, 2001), consulting (Bookbinder, 2001), certifications (Hayden, 2005), graduate school (Cottrell & Hayden, 2007), and many other topics. This article looks at a less traditional means of career development-entrepreneurship. Health education is a field ripe with opportunities for consulting and for selling health-related products and services. Entrepreneurship can not only create financial rewards but can also provide high visibility and networking contacts that can advance one's career. This article combines both theory and practical applications to assist readers in developing entrepreneurial activities. The authors are experienced in entrepreneurial development and use that expertise to provide relevant examples and develop a framework using "five cardinal rules" for establishing an entrepreneurial enterprise in HE/HP.
