We all know the benefits of certification. Some of us have already passed our exams, or are preparing for them. But did you ever wonder where those exams come from? How do they know what to include in the exams? The certifying body (in this case, CCHI) starts by doing what’s called a Job Task Analysis (JTA) of healthcare interpreters all over the US. Through surveys, the JTA identifies the current knowledge, skills and abilities needed to competently perform as a healthcare interpreter. At the end of the survey, the data is analyzed and published in a report that’s available to the public. The CCHI’s first JTA was in 2010 and led to the development of its certification exam. You can see the 2010 report here.
The next question is, who contributes to the JTA? Who fills out the surveys? This is where you come in! The survey seeks input from everyone involved in the profession–that means interpreters, interpreter trainers, and interpreting service providers all have a chance to contribute their voice to updates that will be made to the certification exam. Since our profession has seen some changes since the last JTA, it’s time for a new one.
I remember participating in the first JTA in 2010, back when I was working as a staff interpreter. It was exciting to me to contribute to the development of our certification exam. And I’m still excited to be a part of this important work–I just finished the 2016 survey and recently contributed to the fundraising campaign. It took me about a half hour to complete the survey, and making my contribution was easy!
The survey was released on May 16th and will close on June 20th. Now is the time to support the CCHI’s JTA with your participation! Check out the ways you can get involved and help spread the word to our fellow interpreters:
- Contribute – Conducting a comprehensive national survey of this caliber, as well as analyzing the collected data and publishing the National JTA Report will take time and money! Your help is needed, and every little bit counts! To contribute go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/job-task-analysis-of-healthcare-interpreters#/
- Participate – The JTA survey is now available! Plus, you can get up-to-the-minute updates on the CCHI’s JTA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/542550929264345/
- Disseminate – You can share this article, or either of the links above to help get the word out to every single healthcare interpreter in the United States! Search for #CCHIJTA16 on social media and share or retweet!
Let’s all pitch in to make the CCHI’s second JTA a success!
