Applying Learned Competencies in Social and Healthcare Organizations through Internships Experience

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 recognized Community Health Workers (CHWs) as members of the healthcare workforce. With this recognition, Texas showed a 28% increase in certified CHWs from 2012 to 2013. This trend is expected to continue as CHWs gain more recognition, acceptance, and responsibility as members of the healthcare workforce. Therefore, it is critical that future CHWs receive sufficient training in the fundamental skills of CHWs outlined in the eight core competencies established for Texas CHW certification.

By way of structural changes of the healthcare system, the Texas Public Health Training Center (TPHTC) at the University of North Texas Health Science Center incorporates a 40-hour internship component as part of its CHW certification program. TPHTC collaborates with social and healthcare organizations and providers to create opportunities that allow students to translate the knowledge gained during their 160-hours of classroom training into applicable skills. Students are placed at organizations serving vulnerable communities addressing public health issues such as homelessness, teen pregnancy, recidivism, and domestic violence.  This innovative approach equips future CHWs with hands-on experiences before entering the workforce, while also exposing community organizations and healthcare providers to the multidimensional role of CHWs. The state health department outlines the essential competencies, however, the structure and methods used to deliver the competencies varies across each program. The structure of the CHW certification program utilized by the TPHTC provides a training model that emphasizes the importance of practice-based skills, institutional collaborations, and comprehensive approaches in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors through well-equipped CHWs.