Community Health Worker Certificate
Create a world of healthy opportunities for your community
Program facts 
- Credit hours: 17
- Stackable to degree: No
- Potential job outcomes:
Community health worker, health advocate, patient navigator,
Promotores de Salud
Prepare for a career as a community health worker with this 17-credit-hour certificate
program.
Take classes in community health, helping skills in human services, medical terminology, multiculturalism
in the helping professions and more.
This program will prepare you for a career as a community health worker, health advocate, or patient navigator at a community-based organization.
Certificate program requirements
This 17 credit-hour certificate program provides entry level education and field experience for students wishing to obtain a position as a Community Health Worker. This program prepares students for community health positions such as community health advocates, lay health educators, community health representatives, patient navigators, and Promotores de Salud. The certificate can be completed in two semesters with full-time study in the first semester and professional practice experience in semester two, or on a part-time basis over three semesters.
FIRST SEMESTER:
A grade of C or better is required in all courses.
| Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHW 101 | Introduction to Community Health Work | 3 |
|
Description: Introduces the student to the role of the community health worker. The evolution of community health work will be explored with an emphasis on the current core competencies for the field. Students will be introduced to case management, home visits, and group facilitation. |
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| HED 203 | Community Health | 3 |
|
Description: Focuses on the functions of community health organizations and the way they relate to individual health needs. Helps students to analyze and evaluate health promotion practices at the community level. |
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| HMS 102 | Helping Skills in Human Services | 3 |
|
Description: Studies practical aspects of helping strategies and interpersonal skills. Focuses on the use of techniques to improve communication, facilitate change, better evaluate relationships and resolve conflicts. Designed for persons in helping roles, professional and paraprofessional, or volunteers in Human Services and health care settings. Prerequisite: Prior or concurrent enrollment in CHW 101 or HMS 101 with a grade of C or better. |
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| HMS 121 | Multiculturalism in the Helping Professions | 3 |
|
Description: Explores a variety of social, theoretical, psychological and political issues related to multicultural competency in Human Services practice. Concepts of race, ethnicity, culture, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnocentrism, oppression, and power will be explored. Experiential and community-engaged instruction is utilized to integrate current issues with culturally responsive service delivery. Practical application of acquired awareness, knowledge and skills will be stressed. Recommended: Prior or concurrent enrollment in HMS 101 or CHW 101. |
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| HSC 112 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
|
Description: Emphasizes the origin and the basic structure of medical words, including prefixes, suffixes, word roots, combining forms and plurals. Offers pronunciation, spelling, and definition of medical terms based on the body systems approach. Emphasis on rendering a professional vocabulary required for work in the health care field. |
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SECOND SEMESTER:
A grade of C or better is required in all courses.
| Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHW 210 | Community Health Worker Practicum | 3 |
|
Description: Provides the student with a minimum of 125 hours of supervised field placement experience, with application of acquired knowledge and skills through observation and participation in the field of Community Health Work. Introduces students to community health settings, clientele and professionals to provide a foundation for career development. Increases comprehension of how agencies interact with other entities in their communities, and how community health practitioners interact in community settings with individuals, families, health and human service organizations, policy, coalitions and government institutions. Prerequisite: CHW 101, HED 203, HMS 102, HMS 121 and HSC 112 with grades of C or better, or consent of coordinator. |
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Related program
Students interested in community health may also be interested in:
Resources
- Harper College provides Gainful Employment information to comply with the U.S. Department of Education
- Harper Career Paths: Community Health Worker
Next steps
For more information about the Community Health Worker Certificate program, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.