Curricula, Training, and Internship
Conceptual Approach for Curricular Development
Our conceptual approach for our core curricular development has included several innovative features:
- a foundational consultation process with CHW national experts to inform our curricular development approach, process, and content;
- the utilization of the CHW Consensus Project (C3 Project) to provide curricular standards and guide learning objectives;
- integration of three key stakeholder group perspectives (patients, health care teams and health care systems) throughout the curriculum;
- use of popular education principles, which aim to foster a collaborative learning process (e.g., using participatory approaches that focus on problem-solving and role-playing, including hands-on laboratory sessions);
- integration of adult learning principles that build on learners’ experiences and culminate in an apprenticeship model, modified to work within the challenging limitations on in-person interactions in the COVID 19 pandemic era;
and - use of a modified apprenticeship model, designed to enhance virtual collaborative learning, including panel discussions and interviews with experienced CHWs and professionals in health care, academia, and public health and virtual tours of clinical settings. With this approach, we hope to build a sustained learning community for CHWs through interaction with multidisciplinary health care experts.
Training
As an example, our resulting innovative standards-based core curriculum for clinical CHWs is comprised of ten modules, which span three key areas of focus:
- Establishing a professional CHW identity and Competencies (e.g., CHW history, roles/skills, CHW organizations/ advocacy, Practicing Self-Awareness/Cultural Humility, etc.);
- Outlining the context, processes and key actors in health care settings with whom CHWs will engage (e.g., U.S. Health Care Systems, Interprofessional Workplace Interactions, Technology in Health Care, Workplace Communication Skills & Code of Ethics, Introduction to Public Health); and
- Identifying the main forces that shape the health and health care outcomes of patients/families and communities (e.g., Health Disparities & Social Determinants of Health; Social Support Resources to engage with Families & Communities, Humanistic Values in Care Management, etc.).
With collaboration and feedback throughout the development and drafting of our curricular modules from clinic-based CHWs from a partner health care organization, we provide current and relevant information and examples, particularly for the hands-on portion for each module and the apprenticeship component.
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Internship
After completing the course, participants will then gain experience in a Providence or partner health care site for the remainder of the six months. They will receive  mentorship experience and involvement in various roles and responsibilities that improves their ability to care for patients in hospital and clinical settings. CHW Academy participants will be responsible for helping community residents and Medical Center patients and families navigate and access community services and adopt healthy behaviors.  
Objectives
- Increase employment opportunities for CHW Academy participants Provide jobsite training in Providence hospital/clinic or a partner healthcare organization
- Improve participants’ ability to navigate services that advance well-being for patients and their families
- Improve access to preventive and medical care services in communities served
CHW Interns will be exposed to the following responsibilities
- Navigation/Linkage to Resources Duties
- Enrollment
- Documentation/Information Management Duties
Continuing Education
While CHW Academy interns are completing the internship, they will receive Continuing Education sessions on care management topics from º£½ÇÉçÇø.  With this approach, we hope to build a sustained learning community for CHWs through interaction with multidisciplinary healthcare experts, including other experienced CHWs, utilizing adult education principles of experience-based social, collaborative learning. 
The topics discussed in the curriculum for continuing education include assistance with enrolling for services, correcting and evaluating health data, patient education, and the importance of electronic health records.
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- Office of Research
- Research Administration
- Research Centers
- Clinical Research Education and Career Development (CRECD)
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
- Research Centers in Minority Institutions Research Network (RTRN)
- Center for Biomedical Informatics
- º£½ÇÉçÇø/UCLA Cancer Center Partnership to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities
- HIV/AIDS Research – Drew CARES
- Urban Health Institute
- Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence
- UCLA-º£½ÇÉçÇø CFAR
- º£½ÇÉçÇø Patents
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- Student Research