One career that is expanding in the public health arena is that of Public Health Workers. There are many professions and occupations within this designation and so, depending upon education and responsibilities, there are varied licensing or credentialing requirements.
Definition of Public Health
Public health is concerned with the well-being of whole populations of individuals. That means, although individuals receive services through public health facilities, the focus of the facility is the health of the population in that community. Public health professionals work statewide, nationally and internationally to anticipate health problems such as epidemics and environmental health risks, and to avoid or alleviate them.
Kinds of Public Health Workers
That definition means that individuals within professions like social work who are involved in community health can be generically classified as P.H. workers. Social Workers who provide counseling and other services concentrating on populations usually hold LCSW degrees and are licensed to practice social work in the states where they are employed. Professionals in Environmental Public Health usually hold the certification “Registered Environmental Health Specialist / Registered Sanitarian.” There are several other certifications and licensures for professionals in public health. One of the problems, though, is that there is no standard, nationally recognized credential, so each branch of public health has its own. That is true of another professional in the field often referred to simply as the public health, or community health worker.
What is a Community Health Worker?
The specific definition of this job is found on the BLS website: they “assist individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. Conduct outreach for medical personnel or health organizations to implement programs in the community that promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health. May provide information on available resources, provide social support and informal counseling, advocate for individuals and community health needs, and provide services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. May collect data to help identify community health needs.” These individuals generally work in their own, or in familiar, communities to promote the health of the people who live there. Often, these are under-served or marginalized populations such as Native Americans. They may also work with people who have recently been released from prison or with youth.
Community Health Workers are valuable assets to the public health system because they don’t have to build trust before becoming accepted as an outsider would. The educational requirement for the job is a high school diploma or an associate degree, according to Explore Health Careers.com.
Because there is no recognized national standard of education or proficiency for these workers, several states have developed their own programs. Texas, for instance, requires them to complete a 160-hour training program or have 1,000 hours or more in community health services within the previous six-year period to become certified in that state.
The center for Disease Control and Prevention has also developed a training program that requires 170 hours to complete. Sample courses in the training are: Communication, Interpersonal Relationships, Informal Counseling, Service Coordination, Advocacy and other skills-based classes. In states that require certification, the credentials may vary, but generally are similar, such as “Certified Community Health Worker” or “Community Health Worker.”
Although many disciplines concentrate on working within specific populations to promote health and are classified, for some purposes as workers in public health, the term “community health worker” designated a specific position. The BLS says the occupational outlook for these workers is good. Universities and colleges are beginning to offer training programs and states are recognizing certifications for community health or Public Health Workers.
