40-hour Online Medical Interpreter Training
NBCMI
The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters is an organization whose mission is to elevate the standards of the medical interpreting profession. It offers credentials for medical interpreters that are valid nationwide in the United States.
The benefits are at multiple levels, providing trust, standards, code of ethics and recognition for the profession.
The Certified Medical Interpreter certification offered by the NBCMI covers six languages, unfortunately not including Italian, my mother tongue. However, the certification is offered in Spanish, which is one of my languages of work.
On the other hand, the Hub-CMI credential offered by the NBCMI is available to interpreters of any language, therefore, for my future career, I can think of acquiring that one.
There is also a webinar available on the website free of charge, to understand how the credential/certification process works.
CCHI
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreter, whose acronym is CCHI, is a commission providing a certification for medical interpreters that is valid and accredited nationwide in the United States. The certification program is available to interpreters of all languages. There are two types of certification available, the CoreCHI “Core Certification Healthcare Interpreter” and the CHI “Certified Healthcare Interpreter”. Both types of certification give access to the US National Certified Interpreter Registry.
Both certifications are valid for four years from the issuing date, and after four years the interpreter must meet specific renewal requirements to keep the status of certified interpreter.
The CCHI also provides an online Repository of Critical Incident Reports, for these instances to be shared with the public and further discussed by a panel of professional interpreters.
Information on the CCHI certifications is very important for any interpreter who wants to pursue a career in the medical interpreting field.
MEDICAL INTERPRETER CERTIFICATION EXAMS DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
NBCMI and CCHI certification exams for interpreters have similarities between them, and some differences too.
They both have a written exam for all languages that is performed in English, and covers knowledge about the role of a medical interpreter, cultural competence, medical terminology for medical interpreters, interpreting code of ethics, medical specialties, preparing for and managing a medical interpreting encounter.
For some specific languages, including Spanish, there is also a computer-based oral exam, verifying practical interpreting skills in a medical scenario.
The CCHI oral exam covers consecutive interpreting, simultaneous interpreting and sight translation, while the NBCMI tests simultaneous interpreting and sight translation of medical documents.
The CCHI exam can be taken in specific locations, while the NBCMI is also available online, which is convenient if you are not residing in the US.
Both exams have the same cost and require taking a previous training course of at least 40 hours, like the one provided by MiTio.
