Enhancing the Skills of Community Health Worker Supervisor
We are training CHW supervisors so they have the skills and competencies to lead their team in delivering exceptional care.
Community health workers (CHWs) are vital in providing culturally sensitive care to those with complex health needs. However, the demanding nature of their work can lead to burnout, affecting care continuity and program effectiveness.
Supportive supervision is crucial for integrating CHWs into healthcare organizations. At a 2019 workshop by the National Academies of Sciences, experts emphasized the need for organizations to adapt their supervision methods to better support CHWs1.
With 25 years of experience, Partners has developed a Community Health Worker Supervisor Training program designed to strengthen the capacity, competence, and sustainability of California’s CHW workforce.
By investing in this training, your organization can empower its supervisors, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for your CHW teams and the communities they serve.
Join us in making a lasting impact on health and well-being!
CHW Supervisor Lessons
Overview of CHW Programs
This introductory course provides a comprehensive overview of community health worker programs, their goals, and their impact on public health. It lays the foundation for understanding the critical role of CHWs in healthcare as well as the essential roles and skills required for CHWs and their supervisors.
Effective CHW Hiring and Onboarding
This course details the recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding process for CHWs. It emphasizes the importance of selecting and integrating the right individuals into the team, as well as orienting a care team to the role of the CHW.
Effective Communication as a CHW Supervisor
Communication is a foundational skill for supervisors. This course covers various communication styles, strategies for effective communication, and overcoming common barriers in community health work.
Giving Effective Feedback as a CHW Supervisor
Building on communication skills, this course teaches supervisors how to provide constructive feedback that enhances CHW performance and development. It includes techniques for handling difficult reactions to feedback.
Person-Centered Supervision
Centered on a person-centered approach, this course emphasizes empathy, active listening, and individualized support in CHW supervision, fostering a supportive and growth-oriented environment.
Performance Management
This course focuses on setting clear performance expectations, conducting regular performance reviews, and utilizing performance metrics to drive improvement, ensuring continuous growth and team efficiency.
Managing Conflict as a CHW Supervisor
This course equips supervisors with tools to effectively manage and resolve conflicts within their teams. It includes identifying common sources of conflict and conflict resolution techniques.
Mastering Difficult Conversations as a CHW Supervisor
Focused on navigating challenging discussions, this course helps supervisors handle sensitive topics and difficult conversations with confidence and empathy, ensuring constructive outcomes.
Ethics and CHW Supervision
This course examines the ethical principles guiding community health work and the supervisor’s role in upholding these standards. It covers key concepts like autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, and addresses common challenges such as confidentiality and professional boundaries. Supervisors will learn to navigate ethical dilemmas and foster an ethical work environment.
Supervising CHW Service Coordination
This course highlights the role of CHW supervisors in coordinating services to ensure comprehensive care for community members. It includes developing effective service coordination plans, fostering partnerships and interagency collaboration, ongoing program assessment and problem solving, and ethical considerations specific to service coordination.
Navigating Structural Challenges and Managing Change as a CHW Supervisor
This course addresses the structural challenges faced by CHWs and their supervisors, offering strategies to manage change effectively within community health programs. It covers implementing change management principles and fostering resilience among CHWs.
Contact
For more information, email TrainingSupport@picf.org
Reference:
[1] Brown, O., S. Kangovi, N. Wiggins, and C. S. Alvarado. 2020. Supervision strategies and community health worker effectiveness in health care settings. NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.31478/202003c