Community Health Worker

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

• Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
• Maintain client records.
• Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.
• Interpret cultural or religious information for others.
• Help clients get needed services or resources.
• Provide basic health care services.
• Refer clients to community or social service programs.
• Collect information about community health needs.
• Lead classes or community events.
• Teach life skills or strategies to clients or their families.

Typical Working Conditions

• Using email.
• Working with a group or team.
• The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
• Close physical proximity with other people.
• Freedom to make decisions without supervision.

Tools & Technology used by Community Health Workers

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Community Health Workers

• Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Writing—Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Understanding How People Learn—Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Community Health Workers

• Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology—Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Therapy and Counseling—Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Personnel and Human Resources—Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Philosophy and Theology—Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

• Social—Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising—Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing very high growth compared to other careers. There will be a need for about 1,805 new Community Health Workers to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career typically requires at least some college, such an Associates degree, but many professional earn a Bachelors or even a Masters degree.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

• Child Development
• Computer Applications
• Cultural/Ethnic Studies
• English Composition
• Health Education
• Personal Finance
• Political Science
• Public Administration
• Public Speaking
• Safety and First Aid
• Sociology
• World Languages

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise