With the goal of educating the general public about behaviors that will promote enhanced wellness for improved well-being, a community health worker is responsible for developing outreach programs that discuss healthcare concerns with community members. Since the cost for healthcare services continues to steadily climb, insurance companies and government agencies are continually seeking ways to improve health outcomes to curb expenses. As a result of the rising demand for teaching the public about healthy habits, employment for community health workers is expected to rise rapidly by 21% before 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In order to determine if this is the right career fit for you, read on to find a full job description for community health workers.
What Community Health Workers Do
As a link between community members and health educators, community health workers work diligently to brainstorm and implement strategies to improving the health of individuals across specific populations. On a daily basis, community health workers may be responsible for collecting data, assessing the needs of communities they serve, educating people about the importance of healthcare services, reporting their findings to health educators, providing informal counseling services for social support, implementing outreach programs, and advocating for community needs. Community health workers also ensure individuals have access to the healthcare they need by addressing any barriers, explaining available programs, and providing referrals to other healthcare providers.
Where Community Health Workers Work
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are around 40,500 community health workers employed across the nation in a wide array of work settings. Although the largest percentage are working for state or local governments, community health workers can also find employment in religious organizations, hospitals, outpatient care centers, ambulatory services, public health departments, physicians’ offices, non-profit organizations, private businesses, and university campuses to create educational programs for increasing community health. In most cases, workers follow a full-time schedule during normal business hours, but may need to work night and weekend hours to attend meetings. Instead of being stuck behind a desk, most community health workers spend a significant amount of time in the field communicating with the public.
How to Become a Community Health Worker
Unlike health educators who need to have a bachelor’s degree, most community health workers only need to have a high school diploma with on-the-job specialized training. That being said, some community health workers employed through government agencies will need to have a one-year certificate or two-year associate’s degree in post-secondary education to develop a broader understanding of their community. In addition to completing the on-the-job training on specific health topics focused on in the position, community health workers may wish to increase credentials by achieving certification. To find out if voluntary certification programs exist in your state of residence, be sure to contact the state’s department of public health.
Related Resource: Public Health Advisor
Overall, community health workers are trained professionals who utilize their expert knowledge of a specific community, medical condition, population, or disability to help organize educational programs that will teach community members how to achieve enhanced well-being. If you have the analytical, public speaking, instructional, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills needed, then it is highly recommended that you consider becoming a community health worker to help communities receive the healthcare services needed to develop healthy habits and prevent disease.