A national, valid, credible, vendor-neutral
certification program for healthcare interpreters

CCHI Pilot Applications Pouring In; Hundreds Expected to Achieve Credentials This Year

The eagerly-awaited enrollment period for CCHI Pilot Testing Applications opened on Thursday, July 1, and within a few weeks we filled the 200 exam seats for Spanish interpreters. CCHI has now closed the Spanish interpreter certification applications for 2010.

Interpreters in all other languages have until September 1 to complete the online application form to take the examination that would complete their credentialing process to achieve the designation called CCHI Associate Healthcare Interpreter. The total number of exam seats available for these interpreters is 300 and that exam will be administered in more than 450 test centers located in major cities and geographically strategic areas in states where healthcare interpreters live and work. The examination fee is $100 – this is reduced for the pilot examination only and you do not have to pay an application fee.

“The high awareness and strong acceptance for CCHI Certification and professional credentials has been a bit overwhelming and energizing at the same time,” said Mara Youdelman, CCHI Chair. “I’ve taken many of the calls and answered a lot of the email inquiries that have poured in since July 1.  The questions that people are asking show that they don’t want to miss this opportunity to achieve CCHI Certification or credentials and have gone as far as they can go to qualify and test their work in their language.”

Go to the CCHI website for a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about pilot test application steps, requirements and answers generated for all questions.   As applications continue to come in and CCHI test candidates ask more questions, the FAQ page will grow, along with the certification and credentialing  programs.

Within four weeks of submitting an application, an applicant will receive an email notification of  eligibility. If selected for the pilot examination, individuals will then receive instructions on how to schedule and take the examination.  The pilot exams will be given between October 18th and November 5th in testing centers throughout the U.S. (Due to the technological requirements, Spanish interpreters will be assigned a date and time; all other interpreters will be able to select from a variety of available dates.)

Depending on the language(s) you interpret in, you will obtain the highest credential offered in your field and in your language. All Spanish interpreters who pass the CCHI Pilot Exam will earn the CCHI Spanish Certified Healthcare Interpreter credential.  All interpreters who interpret in other languages and pass the CCHI Pilot Exam will earn the designation called CCHI Associate Healthcare Interpreter. All who pass the pilot will not have to take an additional examination when the fully-developed certification program rolls out at the beginning of 2011.

CCHI received several questions this month about whether CCHI will be able to grant a credential or certification to someone who participates in our pilot examinations.  The answer to those questions comes from the certification experts and psychometricians that we’ve been working with to develop CCHI exams and certification processes— Cheryl Wild, Ph.D. a CCHI consultant with over 35 years of experience in the testing field and James Henderson, Ph.D., Chief Psychometrician and Executive Vice President with Castle Worldwide. Recently, Dr. Henderson co-chaired the steering committee for the Standards Review and Validation Project of the National Commission for Cert ifying Agencies (NCCA).

The term “pilot” means that this is the first time CCHI’s examinations are being offered and the results of this first test cycle will be used to set the passing score for the exams.  Those who apply and meet the requirements will have to take and pass the Part I exam (computer-based, multiple choice exam) to become a CCHI Associate Healthcare Interpreter and the Part II exam (oral performance exam) to become a CCHI Spanish Certified Healthcare Interpreter.

For complete information on why the CCHI exams—pilot and all, earn certification and credentialed status that meets all standards now honored and respected by hospitals, health providers, patient safety officers and the patients themselves, click here for the rest of this article.

Office of Minority Health Renews Commitment to CCHI Relationship

What makes the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters unique?  What defines the potential of CCHI and the future of certification and credentials—eventually, for every healthcare interpreter in every language?  The answer to both questions is the same—the people, the experts and the healthcare community that came together in the first place to create CCHI and continue to grow.

“July marked the one year anniversary of the incorporation and history milestone for the start of CCHI,” said Mara Youdelman, CCHI Chair.  “We are delighted to announce that one of the best anniversary events for all of us in the CCHI community is an official renewal of the relationship with the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .” She continued, “For the past year, we’ve been very appreciative of the involvement of Guadalupe Pacheco from OMH as a CCHI Advisor.”

Garth N. Graham, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health, sent this message for CCHI to share with everyone hitching their wagon to the CCHI Certifications and Credentials Program:  “The Office of Minority Health (OMH) is excited about your commitment to help support and implement the NPA (National Partnership for Action) initiative.  As previously discussed, your organization is currently developing a comprehensive certification program for healthcare interpreters to be released during the fall of 2010.  Your efforts in developing this program support OMH’s emphasis on improving cultural and linguistic competency in healthcare delivery.  We wish you great success with your certification program.”

The California Endowment Awards Grant; Reinforces Support for CCHI Certifications and Credentials

This summer The California Endowment announced their continued support for CCHI’s mission and work to produce and provide certification for Spanish interpreters and interim credentials for all other languages.   The California Endowment provided CCHI a grant to support the completion and launch of CCHI’s first test for entry-level healthcare interpreters.

The grant supports CCHI’s work in these areas:

• Travel expenses of Subject Matter Experts for test development;
• Subsidizing pilot examination costs so that CCHI could offer reduced examination fees;
• Setting the examination passing scores;
• Training the individuals who will score the Part II performance examination; and
• Launching the examination to the public.

According to the U.S. Census, over 25 million (9% of the population and an increase of 3 million from 2000) speak English less than “very well,” and may be considered limited English proficient (LEP).   As the numbers of LEP patients continue to grow, the demand for interpreting services increases. And as these services become integrated into the delivery of culturally competent and patient-centered healthcare, there is a growing need to create formal systems for assessing the competence of interpreters. The mission and priorities of The California Endowment align with CCHI’s work to create, provide and sustain these desired formal systems of assessment and credentials.

More than 450 signed up for the first in a series of CCHI webinars that kicked off Friday, July 23 with an in-depth look at the development of CCHI’s certification program and reasons why interpreters are signing up to take the CCHI Certification and credentials exams this fall.

The one-hour session provided immediately helpful information and certification expertise by discussion leaders Mara Youdelman, J.D., CCHI Chair, and Cheryl Wild, Ph.D., a national expert in Certification Processes and Program Delivery.   Because each webinar provides information that many want to replay, send to others in healthcare interpreting or review as they get closer to their appointment to take a CCHI test, CCHI offers an archive of all webinars, the audio files and PowerPoint deck.

In Ms. Youdelman’s presentation and in fielding questions from the audience, she emphasized that healthcare interpreters are experts in helping patients and health care providers understand each other. It is an important career – one that can make the difference between life and death. Certification is a way health care interpreters can illustrate that they have the knowledge and skills required of a competent healthcare interpreter. It is a tool that employers and agencies can use to help them assure that interpreters they are hiring have the appropriate skills to do the work.

Dr. Wild’s remarks focused on the credibility and high value the healthcare industry places on certification and credentials. She pointed out that to work for both the interpreter and other interested stakeholders, a certification program must be of high quality. How is CCHI developing their certification to be of high quality? Just as there are standards for hospitals, there are standards for certification organizations and how to develop a certification test. She provided a look at how the CCHI program is being developed to meet the NCCA standards, why the NCCA standards are important, what some of the important standards are.

“Most of all, I think everyone appreciated the way we included ways to send in questions when you signed up for the webinar,” Youdelman said. “Like everything we do, it’s a conversation.  We provide the information that interpreters and other stakeholders in the healthcare system want to cover and discuss.  Sure, it takes more work to actively seek input and questions and then provide complete and deep answers but it is important to CCHI to get this input and provide real information rather than shoot from the hip.   We are getting very strong support from interpreters everywhere, applauding our efforts to keep the process open and honest.”

It means a lot to have webinar participants share their delight with others in the field, about what CCHI is doing that makes a difference. Aida Cases, National Program and HR Consultant for CCCS, Inc. in Massachusetts and New Hampshire said, “One of our faculty members was on the call and he was incredibly impressed at how organized, clear, detailed and informative it was, which I agree totally.”

Sign Up Now for More Webinars

Everyone can sign up now through the CCHI website for the next two webinars in the series. There is no registration fee for any CCHI Webinar.

Friday, September 17

(1 p.m.  Eastern, 12 noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific)

“Making History and Creating the CCHI Certification Tests” will feature CCHI Commissioners Alejandro Maldonado, Minnesota Interpreting Stakeholder Group and Natalya Mytareva, International Institute of Akron. This will be an exciting eyewitness presentation from two Commissioners who worked with CCHI’s subject matter experts—the most experienced and diverse group of healthcare interpreters possible–to create the CCHI test and procedures to achieve nationally-recognized certification.

Friday, December 3

(1 p.m.  Eastern, 12 noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific)

“Get Ready for CCHI Certification” will feature CCHI Commissioners Maria Michalczyk, Portland Community College; Elizabeth Nguyen, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and Jonathan Levy, CyraCom.  After the pilot test phase, the next wave of healthcare interpreters will be completing their applications online for the CCHI exams.  You will find this presentation especially helpful in answering the first question everyone asks when they submit their application: “Will you help me get ready for this exam so I have the best chance to pass it the first time?”

CCHI Exam Writers and Reviewers Complete Work on Part I and Part II Tests

Jim Henderson, Castle Worldwide,
and Natalya Mytareva, CCHI
Commissioner setting up for CCHI Exam
creation sessions.

Lise Blandino
Senior Project Manager
Castle Worldwide
For CCHI Exam Development