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Interpreter Certification
CCHI’s certification programs are accredited
CCHI is the first national organization certifying healthcare interpreters to receive accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) in June 2012. NCCA accredited the oral performance CHI™-Spanish certification first. In June 2014, NCCA accredited the CoreCHI™ examination as a stand-alone full certification as well. The NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. NCCA has been accrediting certifying programs based on the highest quality standards in professional certification to ensure these programs adhere to modern standards of practice in the certification industry.
NCCA accredited the CoreCHI™ Certification and the CHI™-Spanish Certification affirming that these exams were developed in compliance with the NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA accreditation is recognition of the rigor with which CCHI has established its certification, consistent with certification standards for comparable professionals working both in the healthcare sector (nurse practitioners, critical care nurses, occupational therapists, etc.) and outside (financial planners, personal trainers, etc.).
CCHI is proud to offer the only nationally accredited certifications in the interpreting industry. NCCA’s accreditation validates all aspects of CCHI’s certification programs and CCHI as a certifying body:
- solid governance and operations, which demonstrate full autonomy and independence of any undue influence from any other body;
- financial and resource stability;
- continued quality improvement;
- security and confidentiality;
- transparency and fairness to the profession and public.
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Definition of a Certified Healthcare Interpreter
CCHI’s certification program ensures the consistency of professional competencies, standards and practices among healthcare interpreters across the healthcare field.
CCHI defines a certified healthcare interpreter as “A person who is able to perform the functions of a healthcare interpreter competently, independently, and unsupervised in any setting and in any modality where health care is provided, with the knowledge, skill, and ability required to relay messages accurately from a source language to a target language in a culturally competent manner and in accordance with established ethical standards.”
The exam specifications are evidence-based and directly correlate to the data generated from a national survey, the Job Task Analysis (JTA) Study. CCHI’s latest national JTA study was conducted in 2016:
- The JTA Study appropriately and accurately identified the tasks performed by entry-level healthcare interpreters, and the knowledge, skills, abilities required to perform those tasks.
- The JTA data is consistent across subgroups and represents the breadth of the profession.
- The healthcare interpreter profession is very consistent in the tasks performed on the job.
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We offer two types of certification
CoreCHI™
The CoreCHI™ certification is THE one certification every interpreter of any language needs to have and can have today. This certification tests medical interpreters of any language on the core professional knowledge as well as critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and cultural responsiveness skills needed to perform the interpreter’s duties in any healthcare setting.
CHI™
Language-specific performance certification for Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin interpreters focusing on testing their interpreting skills and abilities. Additional emphasis is placed on all modes of interpreting in a healthcare encounter, sight translation, and healthcare document translation.
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Special pricing for groups
Interpreters applying for CCHI certification must submit their application and payment online. If your organization would like to pay for your employees to get certified, we could arrange invoicing and payment by check.
We also offer special pricing when a group of applications and exams are paid for by an organization.
Please contact us at billing@cchicertification.org for details.