We are calling for volunteers (CCHI-certified interpreters) to participate in two test development projects:

1. Creating the ETOE™ exam* (between October 15 – December 30, 2022)
2. Updating the content for the CHI™-Spanish exam (between October 15, 2022 – January 2023)

The work will take place in October 2022-Janurary 2023 via Zoom (see details of each project below). Please fill out the application linked below and submit it by October 7, 2022.

CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene three diverse panels of SMEs, certified CoreCHI™ and CHI™ interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

• represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
• may also be managers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)
• are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)

For the ETOE™ exam development: we are looking for either CoreCHI or CHI certificants of various languages (in the application, mark “Other project” and enter “ETOE exam”).

For the CHI-Spanish exam development: we are looking for CHI-Spanish certificants speaking various regional variants of Spanish (in the application, mark “CHI test development”).

If you already submitted an SME application in 2021-22, please email us at solutions@cchicertification.org and tell us which project you are interested in. We may waive the requirement to submit an application again.

What are your commitments (if selected)?

• Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
• Live participation in 5-8 two-hour meetings and several hours of independent work (depending on the project)

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module in October, 2022, which would require approximately 2-4 hours of time.

2. Be available for the 5-8 (five to eight) Zoom video conference meetings, of 2-hour duration each, either on Friday evenings (8-10 pm Eastern Time, adjust for your time zone) OR Saturday mornings (10:30 am – 12:30 pm ET), based on the majority’s availability.

3. Be available for independent remote assignments between the meetings.

Please apply only if you are available either on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 PB (performance-based) CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (mark the Position according to the project you are interested in), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume to solutions@cchicertification.org by 10/07/22. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified as to whether you have been selected to participate in this project by October 14, 2022.

Thank you for your interest and support!

* This is an oral performance exam that will assess core interpreting skills in English. The ETOE™ exam will be a requirement for the new credential CoreCHI-Performance that CCHI is launching in 2023.

We are calling for volunteers to participate in the Job Task Analysis (JTA) Test Blueprint Panel. Under the guidance of CCHI’s testing vendor, the panel will review the results of the 2022 JTA survey and validate the blueprints of the CCHI certification exams. The work will take place on August 27-28 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “JTA panel”) and submit it by July 31, 2022.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely August 15 through September 15, 2022. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CoreCHI™ and CHI™ interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

• have various years of experience – from 0 to 10+
• work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
• represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
• may also be managers  or trainers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)

What are your commitments (if selected)?

• Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
• 12 hours of live participation over 2 meetings and 4 hours of independent work:

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between August 15-25, 2022, which would require approximately 2 hours of time.

2. Be available for the 2 (two) Zoom video conference meetings, of 6-hour duration each at 11 am – 5:30 pm Eastern Time (adjust for your time zone; each day there will be a 30-min lunch break  and 2 short breaks), on August 27 and 28, 2022 (Saturday and Sunday).

3. Be available for follow-up assignments between August 29 and September 15, which would require up to 2 hours of your time.

Please apply only if you are available during the above times for both of these 2 dates (i.e., 12 hours of total time).

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 PB CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “JTA panel”), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 07/31/22. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by August 12, 2022.

Thank you for your interest and support!

The Commissioners have updated the following policies during its Spring Commissioners meeting:

1. Certification Renewal: The number of CE hours accepted (within a four-year cycle) for qualified written translation topics is increased from four (4) to eight (8). The Commissioners considered such factors as expanded availability of translation CE courses related to accuracy of interpreting, increase in translation tasks as part of staff healthcare interpreter duties during the pandemic, input from the stakeholders.
2. Disciplinary Policy: The following prohibited behavior was added to the existing list: “Engaging in violent, threatening, harassing, personally insulting, or abusive communications with CCHI or CCHI’s agents.”
3. Appeals Policy: A timeframe for informing of the final decision on appeal is specified. Appellants will be informed of the final decision within 30 days.
4. Privacy Policy: Guidance on the use of the Certified Healthcare Interpreter Registry is provided (see the post of 4/13/22).

Based on the above, CCHI has updated its Candidate’s Examination Handbook and Certification Renewal Handbook, as well as relevant web pages.

As part of our commitment to respecting your privacy, the Commissioners have added the following clause to CCHI’s Privacy Policy, effective immediately:

Use of the Registry

Use of the CCHI Certificant Registry (the “Registry” https://cchi.learningbuilder.com/Search/Public/MemberRole/Registry) is subject to agreement and compliance with these Terms. The Registry is available as a resource for consumers, employers, and licensing authorities to verify certification status. You must be at least 16 years old to use the Registry and associated email contacts. The Registry and associated email contacts may not be used for commercial purposes. Prohibited uses of the Registry include, but are not limited to:

• sale and solicitation of products
• vulgar or harassing emails
• creation of a mailing/emailing database

Violators should be reported via the CCHI’s Contact Us Form. Remedies available to the CCHI may include all available legal remedies, fees (including court costs and attorney’s fees), and damages. The CCHI will take necessary steps to ensure compliance with these Terms but does not guarantee or warrant that certificants will not receive emails in violation of these Terms.

The full current text of the Privacy Policy is available here.

We are calling for volunteers to participate in the Job Task Analysis (JTA) panel that will design the national JTA survey! Please fill out the application linked below (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “JTA panel”) and submit it by February 14, 2022.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely March 1 through April 30, 2022. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CoreCHI™ and CHI™ interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

• have various years of experience – from 0 to 10+
• work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
• represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
• may also be managers  or trainers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)

What are your commitments (if selected)?

• Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
• 20 hours of live participation over 6 meetings and 4 hours of independent work:

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between March 1-March 11, 2022, which would require approximately 2 hours of time.

2. Be available for all 4 Zoom video conference meetings, of four-hour duration each at 10:30 am – 2:30 pm Eastern Time (adjust for your time zone), on these dates in March 2022:

March 12 (Saturday)
March 13 (Sunday)
March 19 (Saturday)
March 20 (Sunday)

Please apply only if you are available during the above times for all of these 4 dates (i.e., 16 hours of total time).

3. Be available for 2 Zoom video conference meetings, two-hour calls at 7-9 pm Eastern Time, in April 2022 – on Wednesday(s) or Thursday(s). The group will decide on the specific dates during our March meetings. (Total of 4 hours.)

4. Be able to complete independent online assignments, which would require approximately 2 hours of additional time.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 PB CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “JTA panel”), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 02/14/22. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by February 21, 2022.

Thank you for your interest and support!

The Commissioners have made three changes to the CCHI’s Marks Use Policies that are effective immediately*.

The most important change affects the holders of the CHI-Arabic, CHI-Mandarin and CHI-Spanish credential. These certificants MUST specify the primary language of the credential’s performance exam by providing it immediately after the designation either with a hyphen or in parentheses. E.g., Certified Healthcare Interpreter™-Spanish OR Certified Healthcare Interpreter (Arabic) OR CHI-Mandarin. They can no longer use the CHI designation alone after their name.

The other two updates apply to holders of both the CoreCHI and CHI credentials and are meant to make these marks more user-friendly:

• Use of the trademark symbol ™ is optional.
• Certificants may use title case to spell out the name of the credential, i.e., they don’t have to use all caps or small caps fonts.

The full texts of the policies are available at:

• CoreCHI Mark Use Policy
• CHI Mark Use Policy

With any specific questions, please contact us at renewal@cchicertification.org.

*While these changes are effective immediately as of this notice, CCHI gives everyone a 60-day period to fully comply with this policy, i.e. by February 16, 2022.

We are calling for volunteers to participate in creating new items for the CoreCHI™ and CHI™ exams! Please fill out the application below (choose the category you are interested in) and submit it by August 16, 2021.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely from September 1 through December 20, 2021. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via video conference calls and online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed via remote tools.

We will select 4 groups of SMEs, each consisting of 12-20 SMEs:

1. item writers for the CoreCHI™ exam
2. item writers for the CHI™ exam (content in English)
3. item reviewers for the CoreCHI™ exam
4. item reviewers for the CHI™ exam

Groups 1-2 will work in September-October, and Groups 3-4 will work in November-December.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CoreCHI™ and CHI™ interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

• have various years of experience – from 1 to 10+
• work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
• represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
• may also be managers (but still practicing interpreters)
• are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses).

What are your commitments (if selected)?

1. Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)

2. Be available for 3-4 video conference meetings via GoToMeeting or Zoom:
on Wednesdays or Thursdays – two-hour calls at 7-9 pm ET/ 6-8 pm CT, OR,  for the West coast, 6-8 pm PT (specific dates will be provided after your selection and assignment to a specific group) during September-December 2021.

Please apply only if you are available during the above times on Wednesdays or Thursdays in September-December 2021.

3. Be able to complete independent online assignments which require writing 20-30 questions for the CoreCHI™ exam or 5-10 items for the CHI™ exam.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 PB CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (choose the category/exam you are interested in and indicate if you wish to be an item writer or item reviewer), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 08/16/21. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by August 20, 2021.

Thank you for your interest and support!

We are calling for volunteers to become our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the Standard Setting project of the CHI™-Spanish exam! Please fill out the application below (choose the “CHI™ test development” category) and submit it by May 16, 2021.

CCHI regularly updates the content of its exams and conducts studies on setting the passing standards for the new exam forms. It is time to set a passing standard for the new forms of the oral performance CHI™-Spanish exam.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely from May 25 until June 8, 2021. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via video conference calls and online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed via remote tools.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CHI™-Spanish interpreters, who represent Spanish interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing Spanish interpreters who have CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

• have various years of experience – from 1 to 10+
• work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
• represent different regional varieties of Spanish
• may also be managers (but still practicing interpreters)
• are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses).

What are your commitments (if selected)?

1. Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)

2. Be available for the following video conference meetings via Microsoft Teams and Zoom:

May 25 – two-hour call at 7-9 pm ET/ 6-8 pm CT/ 4-6 pm PT
June 1 – four-hour call at 5:30-9:30 pm ET/ 4:30-8:30 pm CT/ 2:30-6:30 pm PT
June 7 – four-hour call at 5:30-9:30 pm ET/ 4:30-8:30 pm CT/ 2:30-6:30 pm PT

Please apply only if you can participate in all of these calls (full duration) on these dates.

3. Be able to complete an independent online assignment between June 2 and June 5, which requires about 4 hours of work.

4. This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 PB CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (choose the “CHI™ test development” category), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 05/16/21. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by May 19, 2021.

Thank you for your interest and support!

The Commissioners are happy to announce that on June 12, 2014, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted accreditation to the CoreCHI™ –the one and only certification which every healthcare interpreter of every language needs to have and can achieve with and through CCHI. The CoreCHI (Core Certification Healthcare Interpreter™) certification measures the core professional knowledge of the medical interpreter of any language, including such vital healthcare concepts as safety protocols, universal precautions, and HIPAA. The CoreCHI examination tests the interpreter’s critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and cultural responsiveness skills needed to perform their duties in any healthcare setting.

“Competence of healthcare interpreters is an extremely important component of the quality of patient care,” said CCHI Chair Alejandro Maldonado, CHI™-Spanish. “The core certification for all interpreters–CoreCHI, after going through a very rigorous process, was accredited by NCCA. This accreditation testifies to CCHI’s adherence to the highest national certification standards making us the first ones in the field to offer this certification to all interpreters,” he emphasized.

“This makes the CoreCHI a valid and reliable tool that allows hospitals and healthcare systems to work with certified interpreters of all languages today,” Maldonado said. “The CoreCHI provides access to a valid core certification to interpreters of any refugee language. Best of all, patients with limited English proficiency, their families, and healthcare providers nationwide can get high quality interpreter services now.”

CCHI received NCCA accreditation for the CoreCHI certification program by submitting an application demonstrating the program’s compliance with the NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. In addition to CCHI, there are more than 270 NCCA-accredited programs from over 120 organizations that certify individuals in a wide range of professions. NCCA certificants include nurses, financial professionals, respiratory therapists, counselors, emergency technicians, crane operators and more. Since 1977, the NCCA has been accrediting certifying programs based on the highest quality standards in professional certification to ensure the programs adhere to modern standards of practice in the certification industry. To view the standards visit www.credentialingexcellence.org. The NCCA accredited the CoreCHI certification for a five-year period, expiring June 30, 2019.

CoreCHI certification allows all hospitals, health systems, and healthcare providers to efficiently show their compliance with The Joint Commission’s interpreter qualifications requirement, National CLAS Standard 7, and Title VI requirements for meaningful language access today.

NCCA accreditation of the CoreCHI certification is a third-party stamp of approval and validation that this certification truly measures the core professional knowledge of the healthcare interpreters. “CCHI has always followed the best psychometric practices and highest national certification standards when developing its exams. NCCA accreditation is another confirmation of that,” Maldonado said. Hiring or contracting certified interpreters has a direct and positive effect on patient safety, reducing readmission rates, and eliminating health disparities.