TAR American Sign Language Interpreter

Interprets in healthcare setting:

• Autonomously interprets individual, multidisciplinary, and group encounters. Settings include inpatient, ambulatory, video, and emergency environments.

• Manages flow of communication throughout the healthcare encounter.

• Prepares for interpreting encounter

• Seeks clarification and self-corrects as needed to remain faithful to source message.

• Maintains transparency throughout entirety of clinical encounter.

• Promotes patient autonomy, maintains impartiality.

• Works collaboratively with team interpreter when indicated to ensure comprehension and message accuracy for all participants.

• Outside of office hours Monday-Friday 8am-5pm- in collaboration with team interpreter:

Responds to pages and interpreting requests. Triages and prioritizes interpreting requests, collaborating with team or back-up interpreter when necessary to ensure most efficient responses.

       Communicates and coordinates with care team to provide optimal, timely services.    

       Conducts patient rounds as necessary.

Mediates cultural nuance:

• Understands language as an expression of culture, recognizes the underlying assumptions of each party, including the interpreter, about the encounter, its content and context; uses this understanding to empower patient and provider to better understand each other.

• Facilitates building of rapport between patient and provider through bridging cultures.

• Responds to cross cultural challenges to ensure understanding by all interlocutors

• Provides ad-hoc education to URMC staff regarding best practices for working with interpreters and deaf/hard-of-hearing patients

• Directs patients to appropriate hospital resources (social worker, financial case manager, care coordinator, etc).

Collaborative Communication:

Interdisciplinary:

• Collaborates as a member of the clinical and non-clinical teams to ensure effective communication, delivering a faithful rendition of each party’s message, considering the patient’s health literacy.

• Confirms context and goals of encounter with each party to gain situational context whenever possible.

• Some cases may require immediate patient care and life-saving interventions.

Internal

• Communicates consistently with interpreting leadership.

• Engages in open dialogue with leadership, scheduling, and team to suggest optimal patient care approach based on best practices and knowledge of patient/provider dynamics.

• Within office ours of Monday-Friday 8am-5pm: collaborates closely with program dispatcher, lead, and scheduling team to optimize patient care coverage.

• Outside of office hours of Monday-Friday 8am-5pm: collaborates with team and back up interpreter to make effective and autonomous decisions.

• Communicates with agency partners for continuity of care, when applicable.

Participates in continuing education:

• Maintains and enhances skill level as demonstrated on hire.

• Broadens knowledge through self-directed investigation, webinars, interpreter conferences, and professional development.

Maintains and documents certification as applicable. 

Administrative Duties:

• Completes scheduled trainings prior to deadline.

• Attends required staff meetings, including regular team meetings, and is responsible for information shared when unable to attend.

• Completes mandatory education, health updates, and administrative duties in a timely manner.

• Completes eRecord, axium, page log, and handoff requirements within 24 hours.

• Participates in scheduling process to ensure adequate coverage based on forecasted needs.

Adheres to all hospital, department, and program policies and procedures.

Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree Preferred

• 2 years healthcare interpreting experience Strongly Preferred

• or equivalent combination of education and experience Required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Must be fluent in English and ASL. Required

• Knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, pathology, clinical tests and procedures in working languages

• Strong customer service and communication skills Required

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

• RID, NAD, BEI level II (written required, performance within 18 months of hire). Required