Healthcare Interpreter Careers
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What Healthcare Interpreters do:
Healthcare interpreters provide language assistance to patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Healthcare Interpreters are proficient in medical terminology, and assist healthcare providers such as nurses, physicians and lab technicians, in getting medical information from the patient.
Errors can occur if untrained interpreters who are not familiar with medical terminology try to interpret.
The main duties of a Healthcare Interpreter include:
- Interpreting between patients and healthcare providers
- Providing cultural information to assist with the treatment plan
- Translating written or oral statements of the person with limited English proficiency into English
- Translating written or oral statements of the healthcare professional into the language of the person with limited English proficiency
- Adhere to the National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for Healthcare Interpreters
- Providing equal access to health care for individuals with limited english proficiency
Education & Qualifications:
To become a Healthcare Interpreter you must complete an accredited program of study. Programs are 2 to 4 years in duration, and most require that you are fluent in English along with your language(s) of service as a prerequisite. Typical subjects of study include: discussions, medical terminology, simulations, field work, cross-cultural understanding and special student projects. To date there is no national certification available for Healthcare Interpreters.
Salary & Job Prospects:
Healthcare Interpreters can earn salaries in the region of $25,000 - $50,000, depending on their work setting, location, experience and qualifications. As the number of LEP patients is growing, the need for qualified healthcare interpreters is also increasing rapidly. Job prospects are therefore excellent.
Below is a list of some of the various types of allied health careers / professions: