Career Ladder

The CHWSD recognizes the Community Health Worker profession as both a lifelong career and an opportunity for an individual to continue their education and training while continuing to work as a CHW.

CHWs may consider the following opportunities for career advancements:

CHW Diploma
CHW Associates Degree
Additional Training in a specific area (i.e. diabetes, asthma, etc.)
Management training to manage a CHW program

The workforce development section of the CDC’s CHW eLearning toolkit provide a more detailed overview of possibilities of career growth for CHWs.

CDC e-learning Career Growth

Career Lattice

In addition to training as a CHW, individuals may also consider cross-training in an additional profession to expand their reach of services and employability. This can be especially useful in smaller communities in South Dakota where a full time CHW position may not be an option.

Individuals who are currently a CHW may be interested in exploring the following additional training opportunities:

Certified Nurses Aide
Medication Aide
Pharmacy Tech
EMT
Interpreter

Additionally, individuals may also consider training to become a CHW to enhance the services they currently offer in their position. For example, a nurse may also train as a CHW in order to better provide resource coordination for patients in a primary care clinic.