Analyzing Health Education Training of Human Services Students

Human services programs across the country are charged with training students to address social problems of individuals and families through delivering services that enhance the standard of living of all people. The coursework generally offered in accredited human services programs are within the framework of mental health and social work, yet human services workers play a critical role in health care delivery and need to convey good health practices to the clients they serve. Hence the need for human services students to have coursework in health education to develop their skills in addressing client health behavior. The purpose of this study was to provide an analysis of the accredited human services school curriculum across the United States, and begin to make an argument for the importance of health education courses for student preparation for the field. The 39 accredited human services programs in the United States were analyzed for their number of health education courses offered, type of course, and number of credits associated with the course. The analysis revealed that 41% of programs offer health education courses, 62% of the programs offer only one health education course and 18% of those offer only a First Aid/CPR course