How to Become a Community Health Worker in 3 Steps

Those serving in this vital role help connect people to life-saving vaccines, provide access to healthcare for all, employ tactful cross-cultural communication to educate and empower others, and advocate for important health equity initiatives.

“A community health worker is more than a job,” Honey Estrada, president of the North Carolina Community Health Worker Association, told North Carolina Health News. “It’s who we are.”

Are you driven to help others navigate healthcare challenges? Do you feel passionate about providing accessible, culturally sensitive health education? Are you committed to advocating for the health and safety of individuals and communities? If that’s “who you are,” as Estrada suggests, you may find a career as a community health worker (CHW) deeply rewarding.

In this guide, we’ll explore what this career entails, the educational paths into it, and the salary potential it promises. Keep reading to channel your compassion, resourcefulness, and leadership skills into a meaningful future as community health worker.

Step 1: Meet Necessary Education Requirements

Let’s begin by addressing the most fundamental requirement for an aspiring community health worker: education. Fortunately, the academic paths to this role are as varied as the tasks you’ll perform on a day-to-day basis. While you’ll need to have graduated high school — during which time you can start preparing yourself for a healthcare career — that’s the only real requirement. From there, you can tailor your education to match your interests and career goals.

CHWs often earn a bachelor’s degree in a health-related field, but this is optional. In fact, many community health workers earn an undergraduate degree in a program dedicated to helping others that seems on the surface to have little to do with community health. Successful candidates in these roles often have a background in law and advocacy, business, economics, or education.

A master’s degree in healthcare is also optional, though community health workers who’ve successfully completed graduate school typically make more money than those who hold only a bachelor’s degree. The University of San Diego online points to a career as a biostatistician (a position that requires a master’s degree) as an example of a high-earning CHW role. Another master’s degree that will prepare you for a lucrative CHW career is a Master of Science in Nursing.

Step 2: Get Experience and Certification

While education alone can prepare you for a rewarding career as a CHW, it’s typically a combination of education and experience — which sometimes includes certification — that will make you more competitive as a candidate. Although experience and certifications are not required, they can help you achieve your professional and financial goals more easily.

Acquiring both on-the-job, practical experience and academic instruction will give you a tangible and theoretical understanding of your function as a future CHW. Much of your training will be supervised by experienced CHWs who can model best practices and provide insights into realistic job expectations.

As a future health advocate, you may want to consider earning additional certifications as a means of standing out from your peers. According to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, “A growing number of states are developing or considering a certification program for community health workers (CHWs).” Begin by checking if your state requires certification. If it doesn’t, you may want to consider specializing in an area of interest related to healthcare, such as a nursing certification.

Regardless of your state’s certification requirements, it will be helpful to get up to speed on any and all industry guidelines, such as the nursing code of ethics.

Step 3: Explore Specializations and Apply to Opportunities

Now that we’ve explored the ideal academic and experiential aspects of a community health worker’s background, it’s time to use this knowledge to consider the positions you’ll be qualified to pursue.

According to Talance, a non-profit provider of community health training and support, CHWs often work at or with the following facilities and institutions: state and local governments, clinics and hospitals, outpatient care centers, insurance companies, nursing care facilities, nonprofit groups, and faith- and community-based groups. Although this is not a comprehensive list, it provides a helpful snapshot of potential healthcare-centric work environments.

Moreover, these work environments do not limit what you can study or the niche of community health in which you can work — you can and should specialize in topics that speak to your passions. Maybe you’re driven, for example, to advocate for families based on your own background or interests. If so, you may consider pursuing employment at a family service agency. Alternatively, many students transition to roles as educators or researchers after studying public health as an undergraduate.

Regardless of your area of specialization or field of interest, community health workers are in increasingly high demand — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects their employment will grow by 14% between 2022 and 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. With this in mind, don’t forget to be your own career advocate and strategically navigate your healthcare job offers by choosing an employer worthy of your talents and negotiating a fair employment contract.

Best Bachelor’s Degrees to Become a Community Health Worker

If you’re one of the many students interested in a future role as a community health worker, you already know that pursuing a bachelor’s degree can stand out from the pack. The best part? You can pursue any number of degrees related to allied healthcare to do so. The following list, while not comprehensive, includes some of the most common bachelor’s degree options that will prepare you for this meaningful career.

Responsibilities & Skills of Community Health Workers

Regardless of the educational pathway you follow to become a community health worker, you’ll be required to perform a number of common responsibilities once you begin your career. To do so, you’ll need to have mastered certain skills that will help you serve the populations with whom you work.

Career and Salary Outlook for Community Health Workers

Community health workers possess an in-demand skill set. The job growth rate for this field is 14% nationwide, indicating a stable career path. A high job growth rate also suggests opportunities for advancement, whether through leadership roles in community health or specialization in areas such as community mental health or geriatric community health. While the job growth rate is quite high, salaries are around the national average for most industries. However, it's important to note that community health workers in the 90th percentile earn a substantial salary (over $75,000 nationally on average). Typically, workers in this percentile have experience in community health. Taking advantage of the ample leadership opportunities available or specializing may also lead to higher earning potential. Additionally, community health workers earn more in certain states, including California, Connecticut, and New York.