Community Health Worker (CHW) or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In Texas, you must be certified by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to work as a Community Health Worker (CHW) or Promotor(a) if you get paid for your services. This is a requirement per the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 48.

For more information about the requirements for CHWs, Promotores de Salud, or CHWI certifications, please visit the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program CHW Certification Requirements website.

To become certified, you must apply through the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program. There is no cost for certification.

DSHS-certified CEUs are continuing education units from materials that have been reviewed and approved by DSHS and taught by a certified instructor under an approved training program, as stated in the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section B. Definitions (page 2). For CEUs to be provided as DSHS-certified CEUs, the Promotor(a) or Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program must:

• Certify the training program (i.e., the OBPH Training Center is a certified training program)
• Certify the curricula, and
• Certify the instructor providing the CEUs.

Non-certified CEUs are continuing education units obtained through the direct application of education or training from material that has not been reviewed by DSHS but is still within the scope of a promotor(a)/CHW or CHW Instructor and covers at least one of the core competencies as stated in the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section B. Definitions. 

If a certified CHW from Texas completes a course for continuing education in another state, that would be counted as non-certified CEU hours. Please visit New Mexico’s Office of Community Health Workers (OCHW) website and/or email them at Comm.HealthWorker@state.nm.us for more information on their policies.

No, because with the certificate renewal, the certified CHW/CHWI CEUs must be completed within two years of their first certification or of their last expiration date. If you become certified tomorrow, you cannot claim certified CEUs that were completed before the date when you were certified.

CHWs and CHWIs are required to complete 20 CEUs for renewal every two years.

• CHW Certification Renewal: Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program-CHW Certification Renewal Requirements website provides the Possible Breakdown of CEUs for CHWs Renewing:
  
  To find the Texas DSHS CHW renewal application in both English and Spanish, refer to their website: CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Renewal website.
   
• CHW Instructor Certification Renewal: Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program-CHW Instructor Certification Renewal Requirements provide the Possible Breakdown of CEUs for CHWIs Renewing:
  
  To find the Texas DSHS CHW Instructor renewal application in both English and Spanish, refer to the CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification website. 

Refer to the CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification website to view the DSHS-Certified Training Programs Offering CHW continuing education courses.