How long is a community health worker certification program?

A community health worker certification program is anywhere between 31 to 1,000 hours long. In some states, there are specific statewide requirements for all community health worker (CHW) certification programs. In other states, it is left to the individual program or organizations.

What is considered a community health worker?

A community health worker is considered a lay member of the community who works either for pay or as a volunteer in association with the local health care system in both urban and rural environments.

What skills do you need to be a community health worker?

The skills needed for you to be a community health worker include advocacy, care coordination, communication, cultural humility, and outreach planning. This covers some of the major skill sets needed to be an effective community health worker. However, there are many other skills that will take time and experience to develop.

How To Become A Community Health Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a community health worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Patrice Hallock Ph.D.

Community Health Workers, also known as CHWs, are community- or organisation-selected members of the community who provide various but basic health-related care to the community, such as informal counseling, education, social support, preventative and promotional care, rehabilitation, and so on.

It is important for a CHW to develop a relationship with their community, as that allows them to better understand what they might need. CHWs also help fill the gaps where the medical system might otherwise be stretched far too thin.

The academic requirements of such a Health Worker vary wildly, depending on the place. Some employers might ask for only a high school degree, whilst others seek out those who have a college degree and even other credentials. They also often receive additional training on the job.

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

Dr. Patrice Hallock Ph.D.

Professor of Education, Utica College

Remain open to possibilities. Try jobs or roles that you may not know a lot about. Volunteer. Stay engaged in your community. Network. Many times a job opportunity presents itself because you are in the right place at the right time and have already demonstrated an ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively.

ScoreCommunity Health WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,079

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 5.83%

Black or African American 9.44%

Hispanic or Latino 22.77%

Unknown 6.40%

White 54.31%

Gender

female 76.52%

male 23.48%

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

Key steps to become a community health worker

Explore community health worker education requirements

Most common community health worker degrees

Bachelor's

60.0 %

Associate

15.9 %

Master's

11.9 %

Start to develop specific community health worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	12.72%
Community Health	12.44%
Social Work	7.51%
Community Resources	6.71%
CHW	4.89%

Complete relevant community health worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New community health workers 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 worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real community health worker resumes.

Research community health worker duties and responsibilities

Lead process and counseling groups gear toward healing from both PTSD and substance dependence issues.
Manage large databases, analyze records, perform literature reviews, prepare PowerPoint presentations, and interpret data for publication.
Complete vitals on all patients and record vitals in EMR.
Train and educate professionals on HIV prevention and testing in the community.

Prepare your community health worker resume

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

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a community health worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable community health worker resume templates

Build a professional community health worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your community health worker resume.

Apply for community health worker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a community health worker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do community health workers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 2 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Community health worker reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Working with elderly, recovering addicts, and homeless.

Cons

People being mistreated

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Care of others. Wound dressing. Personal Cares.

Cons

Housework.. Heavy lifting. Grocery shopping for others.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Helping other people who can't help themself

Cons

Not teaming up because I trust team work is always the best to acquire knowledge and provide good result.

What is a community health worker and how to become one

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

Community health worker career paths

Key steps to become a community health worker

Explore community health worker education requirements

Most common community health worker degrees

Start to develop specific community health worker skills

Complete relevant community health worker training and internships

Research community health worker duties and responsibilities

Prepare your community health worker resume

Choose from 10+ customizable community health worker resume templates

Apply for community health worker jobs

How did you land your first community health worker job

Average community health worker salary

How do community health workers rate their job?

Community health worker reviews

Community health worker FAQs

How long is a community health worker certification program?

What is considered a community health worker?

What skills do you need to be a community health worker?

Search for community health worker jobs

Community health worker jobs by state