255316 Evaluation of The Employer Webinar: “Why You Should Hire a Certified Health Education Specialist?”

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Beth Chaney, PhD, MCHES , Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Melissa A. Rehrig, MPH, MCHES , National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc, Whitehall, PA
Audrey Shively, MSHSE, MCHES , AESolutions Health Ed. Consulting, Alexandria, VA
Enmanuel Chavarria, MS , Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Background: The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc and the University of Florida's College of Health and Human Performance partnered to host a webinar targeting employers hiring health education specialists. The purpose was to engage employers in a discussion on the value of hiring certified health education specialists (entry-CHES and advanced-MCHES). Panelists from three different settings, including healthcare, school health, and non-profit worksite, participated. Purpose: Presenters will discuss the evaluation results. Methods: In brief, 391 people registered, and 204 participated in the live webinar. An 11-item online survey was developed and sent via e-mail to the 204 participants to evaluate the webinar. The survey inquired about the expectations and satisfaction of the participants, as well as suggestions for future topics. Moreover, data was collected on how effective the webinar was in getting employers to hire a CHES/MCHES. Results: Eighty-eight participants completed the survey (response rate = 43%). The majority of participants (75%) did not serve in a hiring role; only 25% represented the intended audience. However, an overwhelming majority (93%) responded favorably when asked about the likelihood of hiring CHES/MCHES professionals. The webinar met the expectations of 97%, and respondents expressed the most helpful information learned from the webinar was the vast facets of health care that are being benefitted by hiring CHES/MCHES professionals. Future topics suggested, include: how to market CHES/MCHES for employment and where to find professional/educational resources for CHES/MCHES. The webinar and evaluation data provide implications for marketing the credentials to employers hiring health education specialists.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1)Discuss and summarize the results of the evaluation of the employer webinar, Why You Should Hire a Certified Health Education Specialist? 2)Discuss the implications of the evaluation data for marketing the credentials to employers in the role of hiring health education specialists.

Keywords: Certification, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently the Chair of the Board of Commissioners for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc (NCHEC), and in that role, I have helped to spearhead marketing efforts to employers who seek to hire health education specialists. In addition, my research areas involve evaluation, instrument development and the use of technology for communicating health messaging.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.