Encounters Online Magazine
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9
A S S O C I AT I ON N E W S
T
he National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters has reached
a significant benchmark and cause for celebration in the profession: As
of early November 2012, the National Board certified its 500
th
medical
interpreter. Juan Carlos Morales, a freelance interpreter and medical interpreter
trainer in Glendale, California, took and passed both the written and oral
components of the certification exams and earned his Certified Medical Interpreter
(CMI-Spanish) credential and became the 500
th
to do so. With testing going on
daily, the number of CMIs continues to climb and there were 530 by the end of
November. In addition, new oral certification testing sites are continually being
added, and there are two in Texas – Lubbock and Houston.
Since its inception, the National Board has registered over 4,000 medical
interpreters, tested over 1,200 for the written exams and 900 for the oral exams.
Demand is expected to grow with the launch of the Russian, Mandarin, Vietnamese
and Cantonese oral exams in January and Korean in February.
The number of medical interpreters interested in national certification is growing,
and with it, the awareness of the urgency to get certified to stay relevant as
professionals. National certification is integral to the medical interpreter profession’s
efforts to make language access services become reimbursable expenses in
all states, equal to other members of the healthcare team. The profession is now
nearing a tipping point in obtaining national reimbursement for language services,
rooted in what both providers and medical interpreters know: Medical interpreters
save lives.
For more information, and to join our monthly webinars,
visit
The National Board of Certification for
Medical Interpreters Reaches Milestone:
Over 500 Medical Interpreters are now Nationally Certified and counting
By TINA PEÑA, CHAIR, NATIONAL BOARD
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOARD OF CERTIFICATION
FOR MEDICAL INTERPRETERS
The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters is an
autonomous certifying body, formed from an independent group of
industry professionals who represent all key stakeholder groups, including
professional medical interpreters, trainers, employers, providers, and
regulators. The National Board developed the first comprehensive
national medical interpreting certification program. The National Board
is a special division of the IMIA and has independent authority over all
essential certification decisions. The purpose of certification is to ensure
the safety of Limited-English Proficiency patients by rigorous evaluation and
assurance of the competency of medical interpreters, through written and
oral exams. Those who pass the written and oral exams are bestowed the
CMI credential which stands for Certified Medical Interpreter.
During October, TAHIT sponsored a booth at the 12
th
Annual Binational Health
Week Symposium in Arlington, Texas at the University of Texas at Arlington. This
event was held on October 12, 2012 and the featured topics were centered on the
Psychosocial Determinants of Health in Mexican Immigrants: Implications for Health
Care Delivery targeted at students, nurses, social workers, healthcare professionals,
and community outreach specialists. The purpose of Binational Health Week is to
educate others on improving the health and well-being of the underserved Latino
population and is one of the largest in terms of mobilization efforts across the United
States and Canada. TAHIT’s presence there helped to educate the participants on
the importance of healthcare interpreting and quality, promoting TAHIT membership,
and giving the latest updates on the Texas Advisory Board Recommendations for
Healthcare Interpreters.
In November, TAHIT had a presence at the 22
nd
Annual Midwest Stream Farmworker
Health Forum held in San Antonio, Texas, on November 8-10, 2012 with a total of
189 attendees and 26 different sessions. TAHIT, along with 15 other exhibitors, offered
a variety of current and suitable information to the attendees. Featured speakers
presented on topics such as immigration, board member training, cultural wisdom,
telehealth, mental health and healing, building collaborations, patient-centered
medical homes, health literacy, and emergency planning, amongst many others.
In addition, the Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum celebrated 50 years
of Migrant Health. In the opening plenary, there was a timely discussion of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) and updates from our national and federal partners, HRSA
and NACHC.
A
FOR TAHIT!
By ROBIN GORDON AND MARY ESTHER DIAZ
MARY ESTHER DIAZ
Left to Right: (Front Row)
Agnes Czobor, Noemy Cochran
(Mejia), Alina Wilson, Lucia Hurtado;
(Back Row)
Edgar Vesga
(Director), Orlando Parra, Carlos Guerra
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 10,11,12,13,14,15,16