Career Ladder / Lattice
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.
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.
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.
Position Comparisons
Click below to learn more about the CHW position as it relates to and compliments other healthcare-related positions.