Announcing New Program at Rhode Island College:
Portuguese/English Medical Interpreter Training Program
New Certificate of Continuing Studies will certify Qualified Medical Interpreters in Portuguese/English
Providence, RI – The Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies (IPLWS) and the Division of Professional Studies and Continuing Education (PSCE) at Rhode Island College announce a new Certificate of Continuing Studies in Portuguese/English Medical Interpreter Training.
The new CCS is available to bilingual Portuguese/English speakers who intend to work as medical interpreters in a hospital setting or who already work in a hospital setting but lack the credentials to serve as qualified medical interpreters in Portuguese/English. The one-semester program prepares participants to sit for the national certification examination, and fulfills the academic component requirement to take the examination.
According to U.S. Department of Labor projections, the demand for interpreters nationwide is expected to grow faster than average by 19.2% until 2029. In Rhode Island, the projection for growth is 10% and interpreters’ median salary is $51,530.
The 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) projections indicated that more than 25 million people in the US require language assistance and 67 million Americans speak more than one language. Over 300,000 people in the US are Portuguese speakers who speak English “less than very well.”
“Language access in healthcare is a right recognized in law” says IPLWS Director, Dr. Sílvia Oliveira “and employers are required to provide interpreter services by qualified interpreters and translators to patients with limited English proficiency in health care settings. The law also restricts the use of certain persons, “ad hoc interpreters” such as minor children and staff other than qualified interpreters, to interpret or facilitate communication. The new Certificate of Continuing Studies in Portuguese/English Medical Interpreter Training is intended to fulfill a growing need for qualified Portuguese/English medical interpreters in Rhode Island and in the region.”
Offered through the Division of Professional Studies and Continuing Education, in partnership with the Portuguese Studies Academic Program and the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies at Rhode Island College, the new CCS is open to adult individuals who are fluent in Portuguese and English. The course will be offered online with weekly synchronous meetings starting September 8, 2021.
For more information, and to apply, please visit: Rhode Island College CCS Medical Interpreter Training in Portuguese/English.
Rhode Island College is a regional comprehensive public college that serves more than 7,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. Established in 1854, we are Rhode Island’s first public institution of higher education. For more information, visit: https://www.ric.edu/
Established in 2006, the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies supports the Portuguese Studies academic program at Rhode Island College, bridges the connection between Rhode Island College and the Lusophone community, and pursues scholarly and cultural research in the areas of the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures. For more information, visit: https://www.ric.edu/department-directory/institute-portuguese-and-lusophone-world-studies
Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies at Rhode Island College
Sylvan R. Forman Center, 201, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908