What are the responsibilities and job description for the Interpreter position at Holy Family Hospital?
At Steward Health Care System, we are committed to improving the health of our communities by delivering exceptional, personalized behavioral health care with dignity, compassion and respect. Our continued focus on the patient experience informs our caregivers in how to provide care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient and family preferences, needs and values.
We dedicate ourselves in the communities we serve to delivering affordable health care to all and being responsible partners. No matter what your role, as a member of the Steward family, you are a specialist in the making every patient and family feel right at home, every co-worker a key to our success, and every referring practice, a team of prized colleagues.
In support of this, we commit ourselves to the following values:
Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Excellence
Stewardship
If you are seeking a fast-paced, challenging position in an organization committed to achieving and maintaining a standard of excellence in all we do, our organization may be a good fit for you.
Per Diem As Needed
This position is covered by the SEIU Collective Bargaining Agreement
STEWARD MISSION STATEMENT:
Steward is a regional health system of compassionate caregivers that embodies the spirit of Christ's healing ministry, and demonstrates excellence in service, research, and education.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the direction of the manager, the incumbent serves as a medical interpreter for patients and staff and supports the operations of the department in the consecutive or sight translation mode. Relays medical information between speakers of two different languages in compliance with all office and hospital policies and procedures, particularly relating to patient confidentiality and informed consent, passing performance of competencies listed in the IMIA Standards of Practice, and the Code of Ethics. Understands and abides by all published Standards of Practice and Codes of Ethics for Medical Interpreters.
- Helps facilitate successful delivery of services to linguistically diverse consumers. Explain hospital resources, office protocols, and limitations to clinicians and patients; make appropriate referrals; serve as a cultural and linguistic resource to both patients and providers to contribute to successful outcomes.
- Performs duties in a spirit of teamwork and cooperation. Adheres to hospital policies on customer relations and hospitality. Understands the hospital's system of service delivery.
- Support the office operations by answering the phone, taking requests, calling patients to confirm appointments, document encounters on the interpreter tracking system, do data entry, verify and schedule future appointments when necessary, do general troubleshooting, filing and photocopying.
- Utilize on-line computer systems such as Outlook, and other hospital software. Work with special projects as assigned.
- Support financial counseling process, community outreach events as needed
- Support review of short translations as directed by manager
SKILLS / ABILITIES / COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:
Strong linguistic skills:
- Understands variety of regional accents and linguistic styles and registers
- Selects appropriate mode of interpretation for each situation
- Interprets with highest degree of accuracy and completeness in consecutive
limitations, seeks clarification and accepts correction
- Picks up cues from encounter participants regarding level of understanding
- Strong writing skills preferably in both English and target language (s)
- Understands language as an expression of culture, recognizes the underlying assumptions of each party about medicine, the encounter, the illness etc.; uses this understanding to empower patient and provider to better understand each other.
- Intervenes as intercultural mediator when communication is compromised by culture-bound messages.
- Avoids generalizations and stereotyping uses culturally appropriate behavior and is able to choose appropriate time to clarify or interject by respecting the goals of the encounter.
- Is aware of own personal values, beliefs and cultural characteristics which may be a source of conflict or discomfort in certain situations, is able to acknowledge these and/or to withdraw from encounters when these may interfere with successful interpretation
- Explains role of the interpreter to patient and provider; recognizes the
sets tone of the patient/provider encounter to manage spatial configuration
and flow of communication to preserve accuracy and completeness, and to
- Assess and address potential areas of discomfort for patient (age, gender of
- Encourages and fosters direct communication between provider and patient
- Maintains professional distance and integrity
- Diffuses conflict between parties by remaining calm and impartial
- Clarifies instructions, follow-up steps in a diplomatic, effective manner
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
- Fluency in English and one or more foreign languages, both oral and written
- Ability to accurately work in consecutive mode and sight translate into and from working language(s).
- High level of customer service and a positive approach
- Familiarity and ability to work with diversity of cultural/socio-economic backgrounds
- General knowledge of cultural backgrounds of patients to be served
- Good interpersonal, organizational, and time-management skills
- Education:
- Proof of medical interpreter training - minimum of 40 hours
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent preferred
- 1 year of experience in a healthcare setting as a medical interpreter with strong medical vocabulary
- National Board Certification for spoken language interpreters, see www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org) required within 6 months of target
- language test availability and/or by January 2016.
Computer skills strongly preferred
Important COVID message
Please note, Holy Family hospital is taking additional, necessary preparations to ensure patients can receive compassionate care in a safe, carefully managed environment - with confidence and without fear. Our Safe and Ready program consists of a rigorous [five-point] standard ensuring patient safety, confidence and convenience: Expanded hours will allow previously cancelled procedures to be scheduled as quickly as possible. Any COVID-19 related care takes place in designated areas away from other patients and their families. Emergency Departments are reorganized to be a safe place to treat all emergency patients. A stringent cleaning policy has been implemented throughout the hospital. A strictly controlled visitor and masking policy is required for patient safety. You can rest assured that we have made the necessary preparations to provide care in a safe, controlled and professional way.
Steward Health Care is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. Steward Health Care does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression or any other non-job-related characteristic.
Location: North · 0301.70110 HFH Interpretive Service
Schedule: Per Diem, As needed, 4 or 8 hours per day
