WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 A call for participants has been issued in the process of establishing a national certification for medical interpreters. Building upon the work the IMIA started in the 1980s with the ultimate goal of certification, volunteers are now needed to undergo the final written exam pilot in support of national certification.
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"Now that the subject matter expert review and rating of test items have been finalized, it is important that we proceed with the final pilot phase of the project," says Dr. Nelva Lee, Interpreter Trainer, MITIO President, and National Board member. Individuals are invited to apply as of September 11th to participate in the pilot written certification exam. Recruitment is being launched at the TAPIT Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Pilot participants will enable testing experts to test each individual test item for construct validity, relevance, and reliability. This is an important final step for moving the process of national certification forward and protecting the interest of all stakeholders that can be impacted by certification on an ongoing basis.
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"We would like to finalize the pilot phase soon, so we can keep up with our promise to have the exams ready for the public in 2009," says Izabel Arocha, IMIA President. The oral certification pilot exam pilot was finalized at the end of August and adaptation into other languages will start soon. Some of those who participated in the oral exam pilot have already expressed interest in taking on the written exam pilot. Others who are supportive will be involved in different ways to advocate for the process geared to the needs of specific groups such as medical interpreters, medical providers and educational organizations, among others. An unlimited number of individuals and organizations are eligible to participate in the task forces that were formed May 1 of this year and will work together to educate and advocate for the recognition of medical interpreting certification nationwide.
About the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters
The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters will be a non-profit organization, formed from an independent group of industry professionals that represent all key stakeholder groups, including professional medical interpreters, trainers, employers and regulators. The National Board will serve as the certifying entity and will be given independent authority over all essential certification decisions. It will not be responsible for accreditation of educational or training programs or courses of study leading to the certification. The formation and structure of the National Board of Certification will adhere to the standards and requirements for certification program governance mandated by the National Organization for Competency Assurance. For more information, please go to http://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org.
Contact: Abbott Thayer, [email protected]
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SOURCE International Medical Interpreters Association
