NCIHC Publishes the National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs

May 12, 2011 - PRLog -- The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) is proud to announce the publication of National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs. These standards are the result of two years of intense consultation with over a thousand interpreters, interpreter educators, and experts in the fields of education and interpreting from around the United States. Designed to benefit educators, potential students and employers, the Standards address content, instructional methods, and programmatic issues for programs preparing candidates for entry into practice as healthcare interpreters.

NCIHC is a multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to promote and enhance language access in health care in the United States. Establishing standards for training programs is the fourth of five steps in the NCIHC’s strategy for advancing the field of healthcare interpreting. This process began a decade ago with the publication of a seminal paper on the role of interpreters in health care settings, summarizing six years of national discussions [1].  Building on this fundamental understanding of the interpreter’s role, the NCIHC went on to the second step in its plan.  The National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care [2], published in 2004, was developed through a national consensus-building process and was followed in 2006 by National Standards of Practice [3], and now by Standards for Training Programs. The final step in the Council’s plan was certification of healthcare interpreters, leading the Council to conduct preliminary work on certification that supported and eventually led to the national efforts currently underway.

The Standards for Training Programs are now available for free download at http://www.ncihc.org. Hard copies will be distributed at the NCIHC’s Annual Membership Meeting on May 19-20 in New Orleans, and will be available afterward upon request while supplies last.

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[1] Beltran-Avery, MP. The Role of the Healthcare Interpreter: An Evolving Dialogue. NCIHC, April 2001, 15 pgs. http://www.ncihc.org/page/publications
[2] National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care. NCIHC, July 2004, 23 pags. http://data.memberclicks.com/site/ncihc/NCIHC%20National%...
[3] National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care. NCIHC, Sept. 2005. 20 pgs.
http://data.memberclicks.com/site/ncihc/NCIHC%20National%20Standards%20of%20Practice.pdf