Shadowing of Medical Interpreters
Currently, our interpreter shadowing services are available to most hospitals and clinics in New England.
Shadowing is a common practice that takes place when an evaluator accompanies an interpreter throughout their daily activities and observes, takes detailed notes and evaluates their performance.
Before the shadowing session, CCCS meets with the contracting organization to understand the culture and expectations associated with the interpreter role. This information is next included into a previously developed CCCS shadowing tool.
During the shadowing session the evaluator compares their observations to the industry standards of practice and the contracting organization’s interpreter expectations. Following the encounter, the evaluator provides feedback to the interpreter on their performance.
After the session, the evaluator prepares and sends a detailed written report to the contracting organization. This report includes recommendations and compares the interpreter performance observed to the industry standards/contracting organization’s expectations.
How does Shadowing Benefit the Employer?
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Monitors performance
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Identifies strengths and weaknesses
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Improves interpreter performance
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Helps employers meet industry standards
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Most interpreters work in a vacuum and few employers are aware of their performance
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Interpreter performance is difficult to measure for supervisors because of language barriers
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Helps interpreters gain a better understanding of how to manage ethical challenges
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Helps avoid dangerous situations/prevent compromising situations/risk management
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Invests in interpreters
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Promotes greater uniformity in interpreter performance (not all interpreters have benefited from quality trainings)
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Contributes to fewer client complaints
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Identifies interpreters that qualify as mentors
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Provides a documented assessment
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Encourages compliance with industry and hospital policies (proper use of hand sanitizer)
How does Shadowing Benefit the Employee?
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Highlights areas of expertise
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Identifies interpreters that may qualify as mentors
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Helps improve interpreter’s skills
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Improved skills lead to less job stress
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Helps avoid compromising situations
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Promotes a greater understanding of interpreter’s role
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Receives Personalized feedback
Role-Play Evaluations
CCCS has been using Role-Plays to assess interpreter performance for more that 20 years. This tool is an excellent option in the following situations:
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Interpreters that struggle with technology-based testing
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Testing of specific medical specialties/terminology
Role-Play Assessments can be tailored to meet the contracting organizations needs and are administered face to face or via web-conferencing. These evaluations are based on the industry standards and take into account accuracy, fluency, flow and interpreting skills.
Written Evaluations
Our written evaluations can be tailored to assess specific areas of need and can be based on the standards of practice/company guidelines. Oftentimes the following elements are included in these assessments:
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Standards of Practice
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Terminology
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Understanding of medical concepts
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Ethical challenges
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Hospital requirements