What is a community health navigator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Jessica Harris CHES

A community health navigator assists individuals and families in accessing healthcare services. Community health navigators help individuals understand their healthcare options, connect them with providers, and assist them in navigating the healthcare system. They may also provide education on healthy habits and lifestyle changes for overall well being. In short, community health navigators work as guides and advocates for individuals seeking healthcare services, helping them to access the care they need.

What general advice would you give to a community health navigator?

Dr. Jessica Harris CHES

Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Wellness Management at SUNY Oswego, Assistant Associate Director of the Honors Program at SUNY Oswego, Part-time Instructor at Syracuse University Exercise Science Falk College, and Certified Health Education Specialist, SUNY College at Oswego

Adapting to evolving trends, technologies, and population needs will be critical for success in the health promotion field in the coming years. Alongside this trend, digital health literacy is set to become increasingly important, with virtual care delivery and integration of digital health technologies into everyday practice. Furthermore, cultural awareness and diversity awareness will remain essential as the field continues to serve diverse populations, requiring professionals to tailor interventions that resonate with different cultural backgrounds.

ScoreCommunity Health NavigatorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,561

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.29%

Asian 5.35%

Black or African American 10.60%

Hispanic or Latino 23.57%

Unknown 6.41%

White 52.78%

Gender

female 80.25%

male 19.75%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a community health navigator?

Pros

Flexibility in scheduling and work location
Potential for career advancement
Competitive salary and benefits packages
Collaboration with other healthcare professionals
Sense of fulfillment from helping others

Cons

High levels of stress and emotional exhaustion
Exposure to difficult and traumatic situations
Limited resources and funding for community programs
Long hours and irregular schedules
Difficulty in balancing competing demands of multiple stakeholders

Key steps to become a community health navigator

Explore community health navigator education requirements

Most common community health navigator degrees

Bachelor's

60.5 %

Associate

17.7 %

Master's

13.7 %

Start to develop specific community health navigator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	16.31%
Social Work	9.69%
Mental Health	7.31%
Community Health	7.28%
Customer Service	4.77%

Complete relevant community health navigator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New community health navigators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a community health navigator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real community health navigator resumes.

Research community health navigator duties and responsibilities

Lead process and counseling groups gear toward healing from both PTSD and substance dependence issues.
Utilize EpicCare EMR software to access patients' medical chart as needed according to HIPAA regulations.
Exhibit sensitivity and compassion to patients diagnose with breast cancer.
Update EMR with most recent information.

Prepare your community health navigator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your community health navigator resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable community health navigator resume templates

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