Professional Preparation for ASL/English Medical Interpreters Karen Malcolm Douglas College New Westminster, BC

Interpreting in Medical Settings Continuing Education Douglas College

Overview of Presentation  History of program establishment  Program model and delivery  Course content  Challenges  Program revisions  Suggestions for future programs

History of Program Establishment  Eldridge decision, 1997  Medical Interpreting Services established  Interim list of qualified interpreters  Development of screening tool

Program Establishment  Dept. of Sign Language Interpretation  Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology  Panel of experts: interpreters, Deaf community members, medical experts

Program Model  Five modules –Medical Discourse and the Medical System –ASL for Medical Settings, Part I –ASL for Medical Settings, Part II –Interpreting in Medical Settings, Part I –Interpreting in Medical Settings, Part II 30 hours instruction for each

Program Model Three instructors: hearing interpreter, Deaf interpreter/ASL instructor, MIS coordinator (also Deaf) Taking all five courses = waived test fee for screening Students received letter of completion

Delivery Model  On-line for medical discourse  Face to face for other four courses: two weekends per course  Summer intensive: two weeks, 6 hours per day

Students  Graduates of recognized interpreter preparation program  Two years’ experience  Many already working in medical settings

Course Content  Medical Discourse and the Medical System –English: major physiological systems with related terminology –Review of Greek/Latin roots useful in determining meaning –Discourse genre used by medical practitioners

Part I, ASL and Interpreting Part I, ASL and Interpreting  Orientation to the hospital setting  Anatomy and physiology in ASL  Physical exams  Pregnancy and obstetrics  Intestinal disorders  Ethics and values clarification  Compassion  Logistics  Medication

Part II, ASL and Interpreting  Cardiology  Diabetes  Oncology  Depression/mental health  HIV/AIDS  ER  Minority populations  Pain  Informed consent  Sight translation

Materials and Resources  Skeleton  Anatomical models  Videos  Live models

What we learned  Students are weak in visual representation in ASL  Logistics and assertiveness are important  Interpreters need to go beyond the form of the message  Consecutive interpretation practice is vital

Challenges  Development of teaching materials  Updating curriculum  Student recruitment: –Cost –Credential awarded –Ability to work without taking the program –Small number of potential students

Program modifications  Not offering Medical Discourse course…encouraged students to take elsewhere  Reduction in hours for ASL and interpreting (from 30 hours to 15)  Programming in summer intensive  Trainers traveling to other cities

Suggestions for future directions  Increase on-line delivery  Tie credential to employment/payment  Seek funding for curriculum revision and materials development  Mentor new educators to deliver curriculum

Conclusion Strengths: -recognition of ASL skills needed, and the teaching approaches that provide this instruction -teaching interpreting approaches that are successful in medical settings -development of teaching materials that support instruction

Conclusion Challenges: -student recruitment -curriculum revision -materials development

Any questions? Thank you!