A program specialist is a highly trained individual who works in an institution or agency. These professionals can take on a role that focuses on one or more smaller components of operations due to their extensive experience in their chosen field. This type of specialist will frequently serve as a supervisor for his or her area of expertise, and will be responsible for the initial design of programs as well as later revisions of existing programs. Individual responsibilities in this field vary greatly depending on the mission of the institution or agency where he or she works, but they are typically assigned at the discretion of a director or other member of management.
An education program specialist might work in a museum, a prison, or an adult rehabilitation center, among other places. In a museum setting, the program specialist would be in charge of coordinating efforts with local schools, such as field trips, or sponsoring evening classes and information sessions. An education program specialist in a prison could coordinate communications with outside instructors who would come in to teach convicts vocational skills. An education program specialist in an adult rehabilitation center would help design and staff classes for recovering addicts that would provide information helpful in learning about their addictions and treatment options. The specialist would be responsible for providing support, feedback, and other supervisory duties to the staff members working in their program or programs in all three cases.
The majority of the time, health program specialists collaborate with healthcare providers, but the size and nature of the provider varies greatly. These specialists are employed both public and private hospitals to ensure the proper distribution of important information about services. These professionals are also used smaller organizations, such as community clinics, to design and implement outreach programs that provide free or discounted care to members of the community who are in need.
Although any specialist must have significant experience in his or her field, some larger agencies and institutions employ multiple program specialists in the same category and choose to differentiate them using pay grade and supervisory status-based ranking systems. In these cases, the specialist’s responsibilities may be divided among several people based on their work experience and skill level.