#1271
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 11:39:39 -0600
From: Michael Pejsach <healthedman@COX.NET>
Subject: Health Educators: Singular...spectacular, or splintered, status quo?
**
** Leading into the Future-AAHE
** <http://www.aahperd.org/aahe/template.cfm>
** Official Sponsor of the HEDIR
**
Pardon the cross posting. Long message. If you're tired of the debate and/or
don't care, please click on delete. Thank you.
Firstly, for Bill: It seems to me that your framing my thoughts on
"singular," or consolidated voice for the profession, as "monolithic
professional organization" is putting a new, less than attractive spin on
the idea. I hope I haven't been guilty of spinning tales, and if I have,
please accept my apologies. We need to move forward without the spin,
don't
you agree? Shall we put a spin on things, or talk facts?
Secondly, thank you all for your comments! You are all helping to make a
more solid argument for a single voice (not a new organization- if several
MERGE, one that couldn't meet ALL the currently separated "interests" within
health education):
1. With a solid consolidated single organization, we could merge all of our
resources and have LESS infrastructure to support.
2. Using the ANA as an example (this is true also for the AMA), it is not
expected that ALL health educators would join, just those looking for turf
protection and marketing. The ANA is not the only nursing organization and I
don't expect that if AAHE and SOPHE merge into one, that ACHA and ASHA, and
sections of APHA would disappear.
Less than 50% of all physicians, for example, belong to the AMA. They, like
HEALTH EDUCATORS (this is an important point), belong to their specialty
groups. The big difference is that they have an AMA, and the AMA came first
(we did it backwards?)!
3. Bill Cissell stated that "....what we can expect in the continuing
evolution of our profession(s) and the professional organizations." What?
Are you saying that we should, or are, just waiting to see how things
"evolve?" In the meantime pay remains low, jobs go to unqualified folks. I
thought health educators believe in taking action and being proactive. It is
clear that we may need to re-examine what proactive means.
4. Thank you for the argument on fiscal issues: YES, our professional
organizations are weak, but not because they are having fiscal problems.
They are having fiscal problems because of all the infrastructure they have
had to build to meet the needs of their small groups, and now have to
support. They are weak financially because our professional organizations
are duplicative and there are too many of them and, as a result, not enough
of us. We, as a profession, in a way, are divided and conquered. We need to
re-group, merge or drop the organization that wants to keep their status quo
(and then ultimately go bankrupt- there I said it).
5. How can you have a wheel without a center holding the spokes? The
center
has to be solid, strong, focused on the health educator, with one agenda,
not many. The coalition as the center of all the spokes? Maybe:
a) if they were totally focused on the profession and not their particular
professional group.
b) Perhaps a mute point as the coalition is a mish-mash of those
interested in health educators primarily (AAHE, SOPHE, Eta Sigma Gamma, et
al) and those interested in health education (ASHA, APHA, et al). Apples and
Oranges in terms of moving the profession forward. Maybe that's holding us
back (meaning losing jobs, low pay, etc.): the confusion between health
educator focused turf protection and marketing, and health education, even
though they are interrelated.
c) I can understand coalition meetings only if there is a "mother ship," a
single voice for health educators present. The specialty groups are there to
influence the "mother ship." I can't understand how a group of specialty
organizations, with no central body, get together to move the profession
forward, without regard for their professional organization's turf. Didn't
two organizations within CNHEO produce TWO "Codes of Ethics?" Why?
d) CNHEO could be that single voice IF there was freedom to support the
"coalition" without having to go back to their board members for approval!
How inefficient is that? It seems to me that a coalition CAN"T serve the
profession as the agendas often become organizational with a less than
perfect focus on the health educator. In other words, everyone comes to the
table with a good 'health educator heart," but their organization's ideals
are imprinted on the their sleeves. So who benefits?
e) It's all in a NAME: That TV producer friend of mine never heard of the
CHNEO because, as an organization, they don't have the structure and/or
processes to let anyone outside know they exist (only to their members and
to us- more internal marketing!). Another requisite for making CHNEO the
center of the spoke would be that they need to change their name. Which of
the other health professionals are represented by a "coalition?" Coalition
of Nurses; Coalition of Physicians?
f) Bill writes, that, "CNHEO has actually been around more than 30 years,
and there has been recent interest in expanding the number of
organizations." Well......30 years is a long time. What's taking so long?
Has "Health Educators continue to lose jobs to nurses and social workers,"
EVER BEN ON THE AGENDA? Has, "Health Educator pay is below average among all
health professionals (excluding docs)," ever been on the coalition's
agenda? And what are they doing about it? What Can they do?
More small groups joining? Where is this all going to end?
g) In addition to not having a single voice, we spend MORE resources on
going to meetings of a coalition. No wonder were weak.
I appreciate the comments made by folks jumping into this debate, albeit
those arguing with me have been less than public about it.
I would hope others would argue with me as I'm getting hoarse.
Here are some other comments, albeit mostly private AND anonymous:
----------
I am on my Soapbox!
How many professional organizations do health educators need? I, for one,
would like to see one that works well. If we, as health educators, with our
focus on change in behaviors, can't change the way we divide ourselves into,
somewhat self-serving, organizations, how can we change the rest of the
world?
I have, in the past, belonged to two "chapters" of one of the national HE
organizations, one on the east coast dominated by academic types and one in
the mid-west dominated by state department of health employees. Either way,
those of us in the trenches may develop the sense that we are underserved
(or, perhaps, undervalued) by our professional organization's). I strongly
suspect that, however, we make up the majority of those in the profession.
-----------
- I am not sure if a merger would be possible given the structure of AAHE.
Aren't they a section of AAHPERD much like the Health Education section of
APHA.
----------
I love it Michael...keep pushing the envelope. I can just see the old
line spitting fire.....
----------
- THANK YOU for laying out the specifics of the finances. Even as a state
health department (temp because of our budget crisis) employee (working in
one of those public health consultant positions), I am somewhat better off
than some of my counterparts making less than $28000/year. And because of
that budget crisis very few government agencies in NC are picking up any
costs associated with professional organization membership or conference
travel (except for folks who need it to maintain their licensure status
which usually doesn't include health educators).
As someone toying around with the idea of becoming CHES (not because I think
I need it to distinguish myself but rather to do my part in distinguishing
the profession), the only barrier is the finances as I'm already forking out
the membership for APHA and SOPHE. What I really dislike is that this
discussion and these issues weren't at all addressed in my MPH curriculum.
Pejsach's notes:
I urged this person to become CHES certified. We all need to apply and take
the test, as the CHES is the single most significant component, in my
opinion, of our development as a profession.
It should be noted that NC was the first state SOPHE to issue Health
Education credentials, the "RHEd." The state distributed a booklet with a
list of all RHeD's, thus promoting health educators to public health
departments. A great model! They didn't just create and distribute a
pamphlet about "what is a health educator." They took it to the next level.
They organized a process!
It is also a state that had (probably still has) a strong SOPHE and a strong
State AAHE: I once approached (circa 1985) the NC-AAHE VP with the idea of
merging all health educators, from both NSOPHE+NCAAHE, into one strong
group, and her comment floored me: "No, never! They can't even turn on an
overhead projector. Why would I want to...." I was seriously
concerned
about the duplication of effort made by health educators in NC via NCSOPHE
and NC-AAHE. I should've asked: "what will it take for the two groups to
make a merger a WIN-WIN?" It was important to merge then. I forgot that
"with EVERY problem there is A SOLUTION," and gave up! I moved to Louisiana
in 1988.
Three or four years later: The health education department at NC Office of
Public Health was "reorganized," the head, a RHEd health educator, retired
or reorganized to a lesser position on the org chart, I believe, and the pay
scale virtually the same today as it was in 1992! IS THERE A
CONNECTION?
I can't say for certain. However, I am certain that a group representing
5,000 versus one representing 1,00 and another 1,500, etc. may have
prevented the health education department "slaughter." Would a stronger
unified single voice have prevented this fiasco?? Where were the
academicians in all of this?]
----------
You asked what have the professional orgs done for the lowly CHES in field
lately--NOTHIN"! I maintain a membership for two reasons: the Journal of
HE, and the Annual AAHPERD Conference. I get nothing more out of the
organization. I send in my membership only because I feel a sense of duty
to the profession. I have no idea who is on the boards and what they
represent. I never attend the luncheons because I can't afford a $50 lunch
to watch the same five people shake each other's hands and hand out
meaningless awards to one another. The keynote speakers or scholar of the
year speeches have never been inspiring to me.
----------
In addition, 4 other health educators joined AHEA @
http://www.health-educators.com (NO COST, OR OBLIGATION!!!)
Please voice your opinions. Use the ballot box if you're shy. Go to
http://healthbehavior.com/AHEApoll.shtml
Thank you,
Michael
Michael Pejsach, Ed.D., CHES
Life&Health Enhancement Services
5101 W. Esplanade, #10
Metairie, LA 70006
Voice: (504) 779-KICK
Voice/fax: (504) 885-4254
------------------------------