What Do Community Health Workers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Community Health Workers 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. They also perform basic diagnostic procedures, such as blood pressure screening, breast cancer screening, or communicable disease screening.

Other tasks include:

• Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to diagnostic screenings, such as breast cancer screening, pap smears, glaucoma tests, or diabetes screenings.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prenatal substance abuse, or domestic violence.
• Administer immunizations or other basic preventive treatments.
• Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.

We asked Community Health Workers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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74% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 84% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Community Health Workers administer immunizations or other basic preventive treatments. They collect information from individuals to compile vital statistics about the general health of community members.

A typical day for a Community Health Worker will also include:

• Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to sanitation or hygiene, such as flossing or hand washing.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prenatal substance abuse, or domestic violence.
• Advise clients or community groups on issues related to diagnostic screenings, such as breast cancer screening, pap smears, glaucoma tests, or diabetes screenings.

We asked some Community Health Workers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	45% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	50% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	76% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	35% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	15% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	42% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Community Health Workers also monitor nutrition of children, elderly, or other high-risk groups. They may also conduct home visits for pregnant women, newborn infants, or other high-risk individuals to monitor their progress or assess their needs.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Community Health Workers Assist families to apply for social services, including Medicaid or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). They might also Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management.

In addition, they Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Interpret, translate, or provide cultural mediation related to health services or information for community members.

To some Community Health Workers, it is also their responsibility to Provide feedback to health service providers regarding improving service accessibility or acceptability.

Working life

Less than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Community Health Worker, you can expect to work less than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm

http://www.sophe.org/

http://www.apha.org/

http://www.nchec.org/