Heather Macher

HSC 200 Introduction to Health Education

Personal Philosophy Statement of Health Education/Promotion Process Document
28 Points
Step 1: Read Chapter 3 Philosophical Foundations (pages 78 to 95).
Step 2: Answer the following 4 questions after reading Chapter 3 (2 points).
1. Define each of the following and explain their relationship to one another. ( point)
Philosophy is a statement summarizing the attitudes, principles, beliefs, values, and
concepts held by an individual or group.
Wellness is the integration of spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, environmental,
mental, and social dimensions of health to form a whole healthy person.
Holistic man is a unified integrated organism. Good health is a positive goal.
Symmetry health has physical, emotional, spiritual, and social components and is just as
important as the other.
All these definitions look at health as a combination of all components not just one or the other.
Health is collective not individual as all these definitions state.

2. Why is it important to have a personal philosophy about life? ( point)

Having a personal philosophy about life is very important to the guiding and shaping of ones life.
A personal philosophy creates beliefs, thoughts, and views of the world and our surroundings. A
personal philosophy helps with others things such as choosing a house, school, or church.
3. Compare and contrast the value of having a personal life philosophy and an occupational life
philosophy that are similar. ( point)
Personal life philosophies deal with not only your views in the surrounding outside environment
but also with ones internal surroundings. Internal surroundings would include picking a spouse
and faith. External surroundings would include a house or car. Occupational life philosophies
focus on what beliefs and actions one have with their daily life routine, the people in it, and
possible jobs. Having both a personal and occupational life philosophy allows one to shape both
aspects of live personal and occupational, both are important and of great value to an individual
or group.
4. Define and explain the differences between: ( point)
A behavior change philosophy and a cognitive-based philosophy
Behavior change philosophy focuses on one setting goals, monitoring changes and habits, and
establishing contracts. It has measurable components. Facts and proven concepts of cognitivebased philosophy increase ones knowledge to make better health decisions. Behavior change
philosophy focuses on action while cognitive- based philosophy focuses on learning before
implementing actins.
A decision-making philosophy and a social change philosophy
Decision- making philosophies when given a simulated problem, case study, or scenario it is
decision making that finds the best approach. This philosophy promotes critical thinking and life

long decision learning. Social change philosophy deals with social, economic, and political
change. This philosophy benefits both the individual and group because it leads to better laws and
policies.
A freeing/functioning philosophy and an eclectic health education/promotion philosophy.
The freeing/functioning philosophy is the belief that one can rely on oneself and can make the
best health decisions. This philosophy does not take into account society and its beliefs. Eclectic
health education/promotion philosophy will use any of the other listed philosophies depending on
the case and how well the patient adapts to the situation.
Step 3: Construct lists of your thoughts based on the 5 headings below (5 points):

1. Your personal values and beliefs. (1 point)

Strength
Respecting others
Love
Putting others first
Family
Jesus is our Savior
Intelligence
Fairness
Hard work
Life is hard
Dedication
2 wrongs do not make a right
2. What health means to you or how you define health. (1 point)
Health is when every part of the body is taken care of and feels at its best. Includes all aspects if
care, taking care of the body and all its parts.
3. What attributes do you admire and trust. (1 point)
Strength
Honesty
Hard working
Loyalty
Outgoing
Faith
4. What health studies and readings do you find meaningful. (1 point)
Diabetes research
Cancer research and all the different aspects of cancer
Depression and all the medications used for treatment
Medical advances that help improve the quality for those who are ill
5. What outcomes would you like to see from the process of health education/promotion (e.g.,
better decision-making, more community involvement, promotion of positive behaviors).
(1 point)
Interaction with other health programs
Community involvement
More promotion to make others aware
Involving other countries and helping them adopt health education into their system of health care

Step 4: About Me in 30 Seconds Statement (7 points)

A About Me in 30 Seconds statement is a simple way to present to someone else a balanced
understanding of who you are. It piques the interest of a listener who invites you to Tell me a
little about yourself, and it provides a brief and compelling answer to the question Why should
I hire you? When well crafted, your About Me in 30 Seconds statement will include:

A brief personal introduction that includes your career objective or the type of position
you want.
Three or four specific accomplishments that prove you meet or exceed the requirements
for that position.
A few character traits or adaptive skills that set you apart from typical applicants.

Keep your Me in 30 Seconds statement brief. People generally listen effectively only 30 to 60
seconds, and they appreciate concise responses to questions. This indicates that you are clearly
focused and waste no time getting to the point.

Speak in the present tense to show that your skills are current and applicable in todays
market.
Remember your audience. Adjust the level of detail and industry jargon you use
according to the interest and experience of the person you are addressing.
Avoid common claims such as: Im trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, kind, and so
on. Not only do most job seekers make these claims, but also without detailed examples,
they dont convey your value to a potential employer.
Make your About Me in 30 Seconds statement natural.

Sample About Me in 30 Seconds for an interview:

I desire a career as professional health educator. I am a dedicated person. I enjoy reading
scientific health research articles, and the knowledge and perspective that this type of reading
gives me. I have been successful at putting myself through college, and I attribute this success to
my ability to work many different jobs, planning my schedule, and handling many different tasks
at once. This flexibility will help me in working in your organization and serving your clients,
where there are many different personalities and learning styles.
I aspire to be a professional health educator. People find me to be an upbeat, self-motivated
team player with excellent communication skills. For the past several years I have worked in lead
qualification, telemarketing, and customer service in the technology industry. My experience
includes successfully calling people in director-level positions of technology departments and
developing viable leads. I have a track record of maintaining a consistent call and activity volume
and consistently achieving the top 10 percent in sales, and I can do the same thing for your
organization.

Insert your About Me in 30 Seconds Statement next in this document. It should be one or
two paragraphs (approximately 100 words) in length.
I desire a career as a professional health educator. I am a strong and dedicated individual who is
always involved in public service. My past experiences are only increasing my knowledge and
expertise in serving others and making sure that all desires are met. I believe that with all the
current activities and events going on in my life I excel in managing my time, multi-tasking, and
developing well processed ideas. I want others to be aware of the importance of health education
and I believe that I with dedication, hard work, and perseverance I can work with your
organization to make others aware of health education.
Step 5: Draft your own philosophy statement of health education/promotion (14 points)
In your own words, address these issues in your philosophy statement paper:
1. Provide your own definition of health education.
2. Describe, in general terms, your thoughts about the current health status of Americans.
3. Discuss factors that may explain the current health status of Americans.
4. Describe what health educators can do to foster positive health behavior change.
5. Describe the most important contribution(s) you can make as a practicing health educator.
You may also find it helpful to use the information from the lists generated from step 2, and from
your About Me in 30 Seconds Statement from step 3. Statement length should be between 1
to 2 pages, 1-inch margins, using 12-point font. This philosophy statement should be typed in a
separate Microsoft WORD document and not typed in this Microsoft WORD document. Your
philosophy statement paper will be evaluated on whether or not you addressed each of the issues
listed above and your writing as it relates to its fluency (being able to translate one's thoughts into
written words), content (organization, cohesion, accuracy), paragraph composition, spelling,
punctuation, and grammar.
Step 6: Make an Appointment with the BSU Writing Center in Robert Bell 291
Make an appointment with the BSU Writing Center to obtain feedback from one of their trained
peer tutors on your About Me in 30 Seconds and Personal Philosophy Statement of Health
Education/Promotion. The Writing Center is a community of Ball State students and faculty
who value writing. The Writing Center is a comfortable, supportive environment for writers from
all backgrounds. It is located in Robert Bell 291. Make an appointment by going to
ballstate.mywconline.com. Friendly reminder: save the edited drafts with the feedback provided
from your peer tutor (along with their signature & review date) for your developmental journal
log documentation that you will submit as part of your Laboratory Hours and Final Report
Documentation.

Step 7: Assignment Completion Due Date: Thursday, March 20 by 9:30 a.m.

Staple and submit in the proper order the following: (1) Grading Form for the Personal Statement
of Health Education/Promotion, (2) this Personal Philosophy Statement of Health
Education/Promotion Process Document and (3) a final copy of your Personal Philosophy
Statement of Health Education/Promotion by the due date or earlier.