Program Overview

The Certificate in Healthcare Interpreting (CHI) is a 12-month program that will include more than 160 hours of classroom instruction and practical experience.

The program will include four courses:

• Human Body Systems for the Professional Interpreter I & II (40 hours each)
• Healthcare Interpreting Practical I & II (40 hours each)

Upon completion, you are awarded a Certificate in Healthcare Interpreting from Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and will earn up to 16 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).

Program Cost:

The cost is $200 per course for a total of $800 (4 courses).

Program Goals:

After completing this program you will:

1. Develop an understanding of basic healthcare systems, various venues where medical/psychiatric care is provided, common diagnosis and treatments, institutional hierarchy and the roles and responsibilities of healthcare personnel.
2. Develop an understanding of state and federal regulations regarding healthcare settings (e.g. liability, Department of Health regulations, HIPAA, ADA, hospital policies) and their impact on interpreters (external demands/interpersonal demands).
3. Examine common human diseases from a systematic approach, including etiology, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
4. Recognize general medical/psychiatric terms, procedures, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology in English and ASL.
5. Recognize and appreciate the ways that medical terminology is used in medical and psychiatric settings.
6. Discuss the meaning of a practice profession approach, working within the service of the goal of the environment, and professional responsibility.
7. Recognize issues in the work environment that may create distress within oneself and employ strategies for dealing with feelings.
8. Identify and discuss strategies and techniques that foster effective communication within healthcare environments.
9. Discuss behaviors and practices that demonstrate respect for patients and health care providers from diverse backgrounds and with diverse beliefs.
10. Develop an understanding of the common types of mental illness (including substance abuse), and the use of the DSM diagnostic criteria in the evaluation of patients.
11. Identify the personal and professional demands that can occur in these settings and strategies leading to effective interpretations through the demand-control schema analytical construct.
12. Understand the role and function of "Designated Interpreters" in healthcare settings.
13. Develop an understanding of domestic violence treatment protocols and the challenges of interpreting in this arena.
14. Learn about applications of video remote interpreting in healthcare settings.
15. Understand common and complex therapeutic dynamics, especially third-party dimensions, and the interpreter's potential impact and interference on the therapeutic process/relationship.
16. Analyze ethical dilemmas and apply ethical standards and practices via case conferencing and supervision.

Student Qualifications:

The following criteria will be used to select applicants to participate in this program:

• Applicants are sign language interpreters who possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to work as a generalist interpreter and have at least one year of professional experience.
• Applicants must have passed the RID Written Test portion of the National Interpreter Certification.
• Preference is given to applicants who have professional certification and/or a bachelor's degree in interpreting.
• Applicants must agree to complete the entire 12-month program and to complete the prerequisite, online course in medical terminology prior to the start of the first course.