Medical Interpreting – Berkshire AHEC

Medical Interpreter Training

The goal of the Medical Interpreter Training Program is to promote access to healthcare by facilitating and enhancing the communication between patient and provider during a healthcare encounter.

The Medical Interpreter Training (MIT) Program for spoken language interpreters offers a training in which fluently bilingual individuals develop the skills necessary to facilitate effective and reliable interpretation in the clinical setting. The goal of this course is to provide the students with principles, methods, and competencies (both knowledge and skills-based) essential in the delivery of effective, reliable, and comprehensive spoken language interpreting in the clinical and human service field. This course develops a theoretical and practical understanding of the multiple roles of the interpreter as well as the related ethical, cultural, and linguistic challenges in this evolving field. The course explores contemporary issues in the field of medical interpretation including immigration trends, legal mandates, and certification.

QUALIFYING CRITERIA:
In order to be considered for admission into the MIT participants must:

Be 18 years of age or older, and have a high school diploma or GED
Be fluently bilingual in a spoken language (be able to speak, read and write in English and target language when applicable)
Successfully pass the language assessment test with a score of 75 or higher. The test includes an evaluation of both written and oral proficiency in English and the target language. The language assessment test will be administered during orientation.
Please see orientation dates below.

ADMISSION:
In addition to a completed application and pre-registration form, applicants must pass a language assessment to be considered for acceptance in Fundamentals of Medical Interpreting.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION:
Students who complete the course and pass the final assessment receive a certificate of completion.

Jot it Down – Note Taking for Medical Interpreters – WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 5:45 PM – 9:00 PM ~ Live via Zoom Meeting

REGISTER HERE

Flyer:Note Taking Flyer_2024_Berkshire

Pre-registration is required at www.berkshireahec.org

Presented by – Elena Langdon, CT, M.A.

Location: Live Streaming Via Zoom Meetings (Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Education Level: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Location: Live Streaming Via Zoom Meeting Education Level: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Workshop Fees: Workshop and CEU Fee – $35.00

Credits/Contact Hours
CCHI: 3.00 – Application has been made to the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) for approval of CE hours.
IMIA: 0.3 – Application has been made to the International Medical Interpreter Association (IMIA) for approval of CE hours.

Course overview: This 3-hour workshop focuses on note taking theory and practice for medical interpreters. We will start with the basics and move beyond to help interpreters begin to develop their own system that fits their context and needs. Participants will become familiar with the principles of notetaking and learn about helpful symbols for the healthcare context. Next, we will work on applying this knowledge through exercises and guided
work. Interpreters will work on developing a list of their own symbols and abbreviations, as well as an overall note taking strategy. Finally, we will practice in small groups and in front of all with healthcare-based dialogues. Before the end of the workshop, all participants will prepare a plan for further practice and study.

40-Hour Community Interpreter Training: APRIL 16, 2024 – MAY 18, 2024 ~ Live via Zoom Meeting

REGISTER HERE

The Berkshire Community Interpreter training is an interactive, skills-based 40–hour quality program “From the Community Interpreter®, International Edition”. It’s never boring. It is also the most up-to-date program in the field. The sessions ground you in what you need to know to work as a professional interpreter. The focus is on community, school and government or nonprofit service settings. With this program, you receive a copy of the most comprehensive textbook and workbook in the field.

QUALIFYING CRITERIA To be considered for admission into the CIT participants must:

Be 18 years of age or older and have a high school diploma or GED.
Be fluently bilingual: Be able to speak, read and write in BOTH WORKING LANGUAGES.
Successfully pass the Admission English Language Proficiency Test.

THE PROGRAM The Berkshire Community Interpreter is a comprehensive 40-hour certificate program. This program can prepare you for:

Community interpreting;
Educational interpreting; and/or
Social services interpreting

CLASS DATES WILL BE TUESDAY —5PM—9PM EST AND SATURDAYS 8:30AM—12:30 PM EST.

All registrants must attend an assessment session in order to be eligible for enrollment.

Link will be provided upon registration and 2 days prior to date. Please download Zoom 48 hours prior to this training.

ASSESMENT DATE

MARCH 26, 2024

ASSESSMENT DATE

MARCH 30, 2024

TIMES

6PM

8:30 AM

CLASS

STARTS

APRIL 16, 2024

CLASS END

MAY 18, 2024

Pre-registration is required

30 Hour Mental Health Program – April 22, 2024 – May 22, 2024 6:00 – 9:00 PM EST

Pre-registration is required at www.berkshireahec.org

Mental Health Program March 2024FLYER

30 HOUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FOR MI SCHEDULE

Presented by: Linda O’Rielly RN and Nancy Esparza M.Ed.

Location: Live Streaming Via Zoom Meetings (Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Education Level: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Workshop Fees: Workshop Only – $150.00 CEU Fee: $45.00 ($41.62 fee + $3.38 service fee)

Workshop + CE Credits – $ 195.00

Late Fee: $180.00 for registrations submitted after 4/1/2024 + CEU Fee $45.00 = $225.00

Credits/Contact Hours: Accredited by CEAP for 30 CE hours, CEAP accreditation #155 and Approved for 3.0 IMIA/NBCMI CEUs Education Registry ID 24-1006

Course overview: The goal of this training course is to provide experienced medical interpreters with knowledge and skills specific to the delivery of effective, reliable, and comprehensive interpreting in mental health settings. The curriculum outlines a theoretical and practical understanding of the multiple roles of the interpreter as well as relevant clinical, ethical, cultural, and linguistic considerations in the behavioral health field. Additionally, the curriculum will enhance the medical interpreters’ ability to understand and render culturally responsive communication through practice exercises.

60 Hour Spring Course: January – April 2024 ~ Live via Zoom Meeting and In Person (Location TBD)

REGISTER HERE

Berkshire AHEC is offering a “Fundamentals of Medical Interpreting” for bilingual and multilingual individuals in Western Massachusetts.

The components of the program include practical applications of fundamental interpreting skills, effective communication in the triad (client-provider-interpreter), listening and memory skills, comprehensive medical terminology in target languages, human anatomy and physiology vital to effective medical interpreting, and methods of interpreting in special settings. Role playing and medical terminology are incorporated into each session.

A certificate of completion is provided upon completing the course and passing the final exam.

ASSESSMENT & CLASS DATES – January 6, 2024 and January 13, 2024 @ 8:30 am EST and January 11, 2024 @ 6:00 pm EST

All registrants must attend an assessment session in order to be eligible for enrollment.

Link will be provided upon registration and 2 days prior to date. Please download Zoom 48 hours prior to this training.

CLASSES BEGIN	CLASSES END	LOCATION	ADDRESS
January 25, 2024 Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 PM Saturday 8:30 – 11:30 AM	April 13, 2024	Zoom Meeting Livestream	Link details will be provided upon acceptance to the program

CLASSES BEGIN

CLASSES END

LOCATION

ADDRESS

January 25, 2024

Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 PM

Saturday 8:30 – 11:30 AM

April 13, 2024

Zoom Meeting Livestream

Link details will be provided upon acceptance to the program

Spring 2024 Flyer: MIT-2024-Spring-Flyer
Spring Schedule: MIT_Schedule_SPRING 2024

Language Assessment Fee: $50.00
Non-Refundable Fee

Pre-registration is required at www.berkshireahec.org

January 6, 2024 @ 8:30 AM EST via Zoom meeting / January 11, 2024 @ 6:00 PM via Zoom meeting /January 13, 2024 @ 8:30 AM via Zoom meeting

Registration: Click on “Register Here” link on the left, follow the prompts to register for all trainings.

Medical Interpreter Training Continuing Education Workshops

Sections: Understanding Mental Health & Civil Commitments –

February 7, 2024 @ 5:45 pm – 9:00 pm EST

Flyer: Sections_Understanding Mental Health & Civil Commitments

Pre-registration is required at www.berkshireahec.org

Presented by – PJ Taucer M.Ed., and Paul Bail, P.h.D

Location: Live Streaming Via Zoom Meetings (Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Education Level: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Location: Live Streaming Via Zoom Meeting Education Level: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED

Workshop Fees: Workshop Only – $35.00 CEU Fee: $45.00 ($41.62 fee + $3.38 service fee)

Workshop + CE Credits – $ 80.00

Credits/Contact Hours: 3 CCHI and 0.3 NBCMI/IMIA CEU Credits

Course overview:

The medical and legal systems are specialized cultures with their technical language, procedures, and sometimes mystifying ways of making decisions. Both the courts and the hospitals can be, at times, unfamiliar, irritating, and confusing even to the average person growing up in this culture.

The unique demands these settings make upon interpreters have led to procedures for curricula of specialized certification for medical and legal interpreters. But sometimes, the medical and legal arenas overlap, particularly in mental health and substance abuse.

The purpose of this session is to help to clarify some of these medical-legal situations, particularly the involuntary commitment of people with alcohol and drug programs to detox and rehab facilities and the involuntary commitment of mentally ill individuals to psychiatric hospitals. Even if interpreters do not always internally agree with the decisions made in these forums, it is essential to understand and appreciate the unique logic of the medical and legal systems and their intersection. In the medical-legal arena, the government’s power is used to enforce decisions that, at times, the patients disagree with and, at times, the family disagrees with. Patients may be angry with the family’s ability to control them through the state’s power. And similarly, families can sometimes be frustrated about the limits to which the state will intervene to promote what the family sees as their loved one’s well-being. Interpreting in these situations involves the usual technical challenges and the ability to deal with one’s own emotions and not be vicariously triggered by the families and patients’ upsets.

Advance Medical Interpreting for National Certification –

ONLINE COURSE Date TBD

Course overview:

This 18-Hour workshop will provide detail explanation on how to prepare for the national certification. The components of the training include comprehensive information on the code of ethics, standard of practice, CLAS Standards, the roles, and responsibilities of the interpreter, HIPPA, and Medical Terminology. Be able to understand the various illnesses, as well as symptoms characteristic of each body system, understand the terms from English to target language and have the ability to define each term. These are vital to the preparation for the NBCMI & CCHI National Certification written exams. A test of your knowledge assessment will be provided at the beginning of the session and a final assessment will be provided to familiarize the student with the format of the written certification exam.

Online through ZOOM Platform
(Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Improving Maternal Outcomes by Providing Language Access

ONLINE COURSE Date TBD

Flyer: Improving Maternal Outcomes by Providing Language Access

Language barriers for people with limited English proficiency (LEP) exist in the perinatal period and postpartum care. Health disparities associated with language barriers include decreased access to quality prenatal care, higher-risk deliveries, disproportionate obstetric trauma, and increased postpartum depression. One way to address the cultural, societal, and family norms of childbirth is to include a certified medical interpreter (CM I) as part of the team. Working together a healthcare team that includes a CM I can reduce disparities, improve outcomes, and improve satisfaction for LEP persons. This training will address the systematic changes a culturally competent team can make to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality.

Interpreting Challenges vs. Challenging the Interpreter: From Interruptions to Rare Medical terminology

ONLINE COURSE Date TBD

The job of the medical interpreter offers multiple challenges. The interpreter is constantly adapting to and facing those challenges head on without warning. From maintaining register to finding the appropriate meaning, to understanding the cultural implications behind words, the interpreter is constantly striving for accuracy to render the best possible interpretation despite those multiple challenges.

This workshop presents actual case studies and will allow participants to be part of those challenges via live scenarios (Spanish <> English) and discussion of the possible options to have a successful outcome and maintain the clinical importance of the session.

Scenarios presented will vary depending on time allotted.

Online through ZOOM Platform
(Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Interpreting for Cancer Care –

ONLINE COURSE Date TBD

What is this? Cancer care can be a complex process involving multidisciplinary teams and a variety of diagnostic procedures and treatment options. When interpreting in cancer care, interpreters may encounter highly specialized vocabulary, explanations of complex concepts and procedures, not to mention difficult to pronounce medication names. Communication between a cancer care team and a LEP patient may be further complicated by cultural differences in understanding what cancer is and in expectations of what happens when a patient is diagnosed with cancer. Interpreters need to be aware of the language they might encounter in a cancer care appointments as well as challenges specific to interpreting in oncological settings.

This 4-hour workshop will provide an overview of cancer as a group of diseases, common oncology terms, types of cancer and related anatomy and physiology, symptomatology, diagnostic procedures, common treatments and their side effects as well as challenges that interpreters face when interpreting for cancer care. The participants will be provided with handouts which will include a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation, a glossary, written practice and role-playing exercises. The workshop will be interactive and allow the participants to review the material through group activities and oral interpreting practice.

Online through ZOOM Platform
(Zoom link will be provided one day prior to the workshop after successful registration and payment)

Build and Improve your Trainer Skills

ONLINE COURSE Date TBD