Community Health Workers

Aspiring CHWs should have experience as a community health intern, volunteer, or part-time worker at a public health agency or organization that provides assistance to underserved communities.

People skills are high on the list of important traits for community social workers. They must be good listeners, empathetic, friendly, caring, kind, nonjudgmental, and compassionate in order to gain the trust of the community—many of whom are elderly, ill, facing financial or other challenges, or have lost faith in the effectiveness of government agencies and the health care system.

Navigating social services and health care systems is challenging, so community social workers must be knowledgeable about how these systems work (including having expertise regarding Medicare/Medicaid—health insurance programs that are administered by the federal government). They must be persistent, resourceful, and creative in order to help clients navigate social services, insurance, and health care bureaucracies, and be able to find solutions to patient needs when it appears that there is no good answer.

Community health workers need strong critical-thinking and analytical skills because they must carefully assess the needs of clients and communities to identify issues, and then find solutions for these needs.

Strong oral and written communication skills are important because CHWs interact regularly with clients, as well as work closely with other community health professionals (including health educators, nurses, therapists, mental health counselors, social workers, and managers). They also need strong presentation skills because they frequently host seminars or otherwise present information orally to clients and colleagues.

Other important traits for CHWs include strong ethics, reliability, patience, a willingness to continue to learn throughout their careers, and a passion for helping others.