Community Health

College of Rural and Community Development
Bristol Bay Campus (907) 842-5109
Chukchi Campus (907) 442-3400
Interior-Aleutians Campus (907) 474-5439
Kuskokwim Campus (907) 543-4500
Northwest Campus (907) 443-2201

Community Health Aide/Practitioner Training Centers:
Anchorage CHA Training Program, ANMC (907) 729-2427;
Norton Sound Health Corp., Nome (907) 443-3404;
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corp., Sitka (907) 966-8758;
Tanana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks (907) 452-8251, ext. 3410; and
Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., Bethel (907) 543-6150.
www.uaf.edu/rural/

Certificate; A.A.S. Degree

Minimum Requirements for Certificate: 34 credits;  for Degree: 60 credits

Downloadable PDF (50K)

The community health aide/practitioner (CHA/P) training program prepares students to provide primary health care services in villages, under the supervision of a referral physician. As a prerequisite, students entering the program must be employed by a regional health corporation.

The educational program consists of four basic training sessions, each four weeks long and followed by a field component in the CHA's village clinic. The curriculum includes the knowledge and skills necessary to provide acute care for common medical problems, emergency care, follow-up care for patients with chronic illnesses, and preventive services including prenatal and well-child care. The training also includes state-approved emergency care courses, completion of a skills checklist, a supervised clinical preceptorship, and passing the CHP statewide examination.

Upon successful completion of all certification requirements, students are awarded a community health practitioner (CHP) certificate by the training center. Students completing the training program also meet the requirements for a university certificate recognizing the credits earned. These credits may be used to satisfy requirements for the A.A.S. degree.

The CHA/P academic review committee (ARC), composed of representatives from the regional health corporations, training centers and university, ensures that the curriculum and certification process is kept uniform throughout the state. The ARC reports to the Association of CHA/P Program Directors and serves in an advisory role to the dean of the College of Rural and Community Development.

For more information about the CHA/P basic training program, contact one of the CHA/P training centers. For more information about the A.A.S. degree, contact the College of Rural and Community Development health programs office at (907) 474-5264.

Certificate Program

1. Complete the general university requirements.
2. Complete the certificate requirements. (As part of the certificate requirements, the communication, computation and human relations content is embedded in some of the major required courses for this program.).
3. Complete the following:
   CHP 131--Community Health Aide, Session I--8 credits
   CHP 132--Community Health Aide, Session II--8 credits
   CHP 133--Community Health Aide, Session III--8 credits
   CHP 134--Community Health Aide, Session IV--8 credits
   CHP 135--Community Health Aide, Preceptorship--2 credits
4. Minimum credits required--34

Note: The student may take CHP 082 prior to CHP 131 as an option when regionally available.

Major--A.A.S. Degree

1. Complete the general university requirements.
2. Complete the A.A.S. degree requirements.
3. Complete the following program (major) requirements:*
   1. Complete the following:
      CHP 131--Community Health Aide, Session I--8 credits
      CHP 132--Community Health Aide, Session II--8 credits
      CHP 133--Community Health Aide, Session III--8 credits
      CHP 134--Community Health Aide, Session IV--8 credits
      CHP 135--Community Health Aide, Preceptorship--2 credits
   2. Complete 5 or more credits from the following:
      CHP 203--Clinical Update for Community Health Practitioners--1-3 credits
      CHP 206--Mental Health and Substance Abuse--1-3 credits
      CHP 207--Maternal and Infant Health--1-3 credits
      CHP 208--Communicable Diseases--1-3 credits
      CHP 211--Health Education--1-3 credits
      CHP 212--Diabetes: Primary Prevention and Village Medical Care--1-3 credits
      CHP 214--Cancer: Risks, Diagnosis and Treatment--3 credits
      CHP 215--Death and Dying--3 credits
      CHP 220--Women's Health: Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening--2 credits
      CHP 250--Current Issues in Rural Health Care**--1-3 credits
      CHP 293--Special topic courses
      EMS--any 200-level courses
      HLTH--any 200-level courses
4. Complete electives--6 credits
5. Minimum credits required--60

* Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.
** May repeat up to 3 credits toward A.A.S. degree.