chwCORE.org - Experiential

Field Placements & Experiential Training

Program Details

Once a trainee has received 75 hours of training from a certified training provider, they can choose to pursue a field placement to complete the requirements for CHW certification and advance a career path in community health work. The CHW CORE Training Program will work to connect them with a partner organization that can commit to hosting them as a CHW employee for the duration of the program.

During this three-month period, the trainee will complete 300 hours of on-site work assisting in community health programs.

The nature of the work a trainee does will depend on the focus of the host organization and the project(s) they are placed on. CHW CORE will work with the organization to build a scope of work that gives opportunities for the trainee to get real-world experience with the subjects covered during their CHW training.

In order to support an experiential trainee at a host site, CHW CORE pledges to:

Provide a reporting system for the apprentice to demonstrate that they have completed on-site work experience and supervised training as required for CHW state certification.
Host virtual peer learning sessions throughout the experiential learning, connecting the apprentice to other program participants and reinforcing public health competencies gained during the didactic training.
Provide special access to the Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program (offered through PHMC partner, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement). This self-paced, online training (49 hours) teaches individuals how to lead patient experience initiatives. Participants will gain the confidence to ensure health communications are inclusive and accessible to all. A Healthy Literacy Specialist certificate is earned by completing the course. PHMC covers the training cost, making this training FREE for CHW CORE participants. (The training is otherwise valued at $2,000 per person).
Provide eligible applicants with a $6,000 stipend to assist in covering living expenses throughout the duration of the program.
Provide a dedicated staff member whom you may contact with questions or concerns, or for assistance in completing any part of the training.

How to Get Started

If you have already received 75 hours of CHW training from a state-accredited provider and you have fewer than 1600 hours of prior work experience as a CHW, you will first need an organization willing to serve as your host site. These can be found by contacting an organization hiring CHWs or employees in a role with similar responsibilities.

Once you have an organization capable of working as a host site, or if you are a current CHW at such an organization, you and the chosen organization can contact us to begin the process of establishing an experiential contract. Have a supervisor message us at chwcore@gmail.com letting us know that they are willing to host you. Once we determine whether you are eligible, we will reach out to both you and your supervisor to begin collecting the paperwork needed to start an experiential training contract.

Trainee Expectations

Complete 300 hours of on-site training with a host organization participating in program activities.
Participate in regular peer learning courses hosted by the National Nurse-led Care Consortium.
Complete the Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program (49 hours of online, selfpaced content).
Complete all required reports and surveys to keep CHW CORE informed of your progress through the training program.

Stipend

In order to help remove barriers to participation and encourage completion of the training, HRSA has provided the CHW CORE Training Program with funding to support trainees with a monetary incentive in the form of a living expense stipend.

How is the stipend distributed?

Each trainee working at a host site will receive a stipend. This stipend is divided evenly over the program period; experiential trainees receive $2,000 per month upon submission of necessary reports, for a total of up to $6,000.

What do I need to be eligible for the stipend?

Trainees at placement sites are eligible for the stipend if:

They are over the age of 18.
They are a US citizen or permanent resident.
They are a resident of Pennsylvania or New Castle County, Delaware.

When can I expect to receive the stipend payments?

Trainees at experiential sites are expected to submit monthly overviews of their work, as well as reports from their supervisor on site. Once a month, the CHW CORE determines all trainees that have met their benchmark requirements for a stipend payment. If a trainee has completed all necessary paperwork and completed benchmarks for a stipend, their payment will be entered into PHMC's invoice system, to be paid out after completing the approval process (usually 30-45 days later). Otherwise, payment for that stipend will be delayed until they have completed those requirements.

Trainees WILL NOT receive their stipend earlier if they complete the benchmarks for a later month; payments will be entered at their respective months regardless of whether the trainings were completed earlier.

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