<p>My mom is an amazing writer and has a background in health education. She is such a caring person and tends to speak to all my friends, family members,and her friends, and offer support and guidance for medical issues. She would love to gain part time employment or start her own business but does not know how to use her talents to help others.</p>
<p>I know she has the ability to be a positive presence in people’s lives but I have no ideas for how she should use her talents.</p>
<p>Since this is a parents forum I figured I would post this to get some feedback from you all. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Does she had any degrees or certifications? Are there any community health centers in your area? They often need many health educators and maye able to let her know if they have any job openings. Hospitals sometimes hire navigators for cancer or other health conditions and she might be able to train to become a navigator for them.</p>
<p>Does she want to be a school nurse? Varying amounts of training and education are required but most of the ones in our state aren’t RNs–your state may differ, but she could inquire. It is useful to be able to speak with young people about medical issues in this position. She may need first aid and CPR certification.</p>
<p>How about grant writing for a health care organization?? She might even be able to do contract work. The nonprofit health based programs might also be a good place to look.</p>
<p>Yes, grant writers are greatly sought-after and can free-lance out of their homes or work part-time. It can be helpful if she takes a course at the community college to brush up her skills, if she hasn’t ever written grants before.</p>
<p>Hospitals have grant departments or development departments or foundations. Universities with medical schools often have the same. There are many non-profits that Are health based and rely on grants for a large part of their budgets so they hire grant writers - think heart associations, diabetes, child related health, Alzheimer’s - the list is endless! </p>
<p>Many library systems sponsor free grant writing workshops - might be a way for her to see if this type of career is up her alley.</p>
<p>Grant writing entails lots of research, presenting stats in an appealing way, attention to detail to follow the grant apps meticulously , good writing skills, ability to follow firm deadlines, keep track of data for reporting purposes, etc. So not always real people oriented, but usually some collaborative work.</p>
<p>What does your mom think she would like to do??</p>
<p>She may want to look into becoming an adjunct professor at a local Community College and teach writing classes for students as well as adult ed…or teach something in health sciences…this way she can teach a few classes during the day or evening and work maybe 20 hours/week…she can start teaching one class and adding more as she goes along…or even work in a guidance counselors office or a college office…or a Director of Education at a local church or synagogue school…</p>
<p>Another suggestion: start her own PR business at home. I know this takes a lot of work, effort & money, but it’s an idea. My sister is a writer and has gotten many opportunities to write brochures, pamphlets, annual reports, foundation newsletters, magazine articles, etc. from selling herself and her work to many, many top corporations around the country. She has also done a lot of writing for several top health organizations and foundations…maybe your mom can start by writing for local hospitals, Doctor’s offices, charity groups and build a resume of writing material to pass along to bigger organizations as time goes on.</p>