Site: The General Hospital Corporation

 

At Mass General Brigham, we know it takes a surprising range of talented professionals to advance our mission—from doctors, nurses, business people and tech experts, to dedicated researchers and systems analysts. As a not-for-profit organization, Mass General Brigham is committed to supporting patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community.  We place great value on being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization as we aim to reflect the diversity of the patients we serve.

At Mass General Brigham, we believe a diverse set of backgrounds and lived experiences makes us stronger by challenging our assumptions with new perspectives that can drive revolutionary discoveries in medical innovations in research and patient care. Therefore, we invite and welcome applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups in healthcare — people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ community, and/or gender expansive, first and second-generation immigrants, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds – to apply.

 

 

Job Summary

Summary:
Responsible to facilitate successful delivery of services to linguistically diverse patients/family members.

Follows requests for interpretation, collaborating with qualified auxiliary interpreters for comprehensive accommodation of interpretation requests. Provides translation service (both sight translation & written translation) of pertinent materials for patients and families such as written information regarding relevant services, pre-operative, post-operative, discharge instructions, patient and family education, and follow-up care materials

Does this position require Patient Care? Yes

Essential Functions:
-Serve as cultural mediator, as necessary and when appropriate, to enhance communication between staff and patients/family of other cultures as it relates to medical care adheres to standard code of ethics for medical interpreters.

-Keep accurate documentation of interpretation encounters to include relevant data such as location, duration, and purpose.

-Provides coordination and staff training on the use of the telephone language interpretation services (and relevant equipment).

-Answer calls promptly and conduct interpretation in a friendly and professional manner.

-Function in a manner appropriate to each interpreted situation, demonstrating professional appearance, conduct, and promptness.

-Serve as cultural mediator, as necessary and when appropriate, to enhance communication between staff and patients/family of other cultures as it relates to medical care

-Adheres to standard code of ethics for medical interpreters.

 

Qualifications

GENERAL SUMMARY/ OVERVIEW STATEMENT:

Under the direction of the MGH Chelsea Interpreter Services, the incumbent provides medical interpretation for clinical and non-clinical encounters to enable communication between patients and families who are limited English proficient (LEP), and clinicians and other hospital staff. Interpretation will be provided in person, by video and by telephone and in compliance with the National Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, MGH policies and Medical Interpreter Services guidelines to ensure patient safety and access to quality care. The incumbent will also complete written medical translations originated from the health center, as well as provide assistance with the coordination and dispatch of interpreters to appointments as needed.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide accurate and skilled interpretations to help facilitate successful delivery of services to non-English speaking consumers within the MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center and sister MGH locations. Explain MGH resources, office protocols, and limitations to clinicians and patients, makes appropriate referrals, serves as a resource to both patients and providers to contribute to successful outcomes. Performs duties in a spirit of teamwork and cooperation. Adheres to hospital policies on customer relations and hospitality. Understands the health care’s system of service delivery.

Face to face interpretation for all types of encounters in the health center setting, such as:

medical appointments and nurse assessmentsfamily meetingspsychiatric and social work consultationsinformed consents and explanation of tests and procedurespatient visitsadministrative encounters

Phone / Video Interpretation, in various situations such as:

medical appointments conducted remotelytriage nurse callshelping patients obtain informationmaking, confirming or re-scheduling appointmentsgiving simple and complicated medical instructionshelping patients with any questions

Written translations applying principles to ensure linguistic and cultural integrity, such as:

messages from patients sent through the Patient Gateway portaldischarge instructionsresults letters, medical forms, public signagemedication schedulesassist patients fill out forms

Administrative assignments to be performed as needed

manage the Interpreter Dispatcher telephone line to dispatch interpreters to appointmentstriage incoming calls to route to appropriate program/staffadd interpreters to appointments through the Electronic Medical Record system

Documents interpreted encounters daily. Utilizes computer systems. Assists with requests and does general troubleshooting. Special projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

fluency in English and Spanish, both oral and writtenCertified Medical Interpreter (CMI) or Certified Health Interpreter (CHI) credentials preferred1 to 2 years of experience in a healthcare setting as a medical interpreter with strong medical vocabularyminimum of 40-hr training in medical interpretation preferredbachelor’s Degree in any area related to science or human serviceshigh level of customer service and a positive approachfamiliar with diversity of cultural/socio-economic backgroundsgood interpersonal, organizational, and time management skillsknowledge of computer systemsCertificate in written translations preferred

SKILLS/ ABILITIES/ COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

Strong linguistic skills:

understands variety of regional accents and linguistic styles and registersselects appropriate mode of interpretation for each situationinterprets with highest degree of accuracy and completenessself-corrects, understands own linguistic limitations, seeks clarification and accepts correctionpicks up cues from encounter participants regarding level of understanding and/or need for clarification strong writing skills and understanding of translation process

Strong cultural awareness competencies:

understands language as an expression of culture, recognizes the underlying assumptions of each party about medicine, the encounter, the illness etc., uses this understanding to empower patient and provider to better understand each otheravoids generalizations and stereotypinguses culturally appropriate behavior and is able to choose appropriate time to clarify or interject by respecting the goals of the encounteris aware of own personal values, beliefs and cultural characteristics which may be a source of conflict or discomfort in certain situations, is able to acknowledge these and/or to withdraw from encounters when these may interfere with successful interpretation

Strong interpreting skills:

explains role of the interpreter to patient and providerrecognizes the complexity of the clinical encounter and added factor of linguistic barriersets tone of the patient/provider encounter to manage spatial configuration and flow of communication to preserve accuracy and completeness, and to assess and address potential areas of discomfort for patient (age, gender of interpreter, no previous experience with interpreters)encourages and fosters direct communication between provider and patientmaintains professional distance and integritydiffuses conflict between parties by remaining calm and impartialclarifies instructions, follow up steps in a diplomatic, effective manner

Ethical competency:

understands and abides by hospital policies on patient confidentiality, informed consent, non-discrimination and by interpreters’ code of ethics

Interpersonal and customer service skills:

projects positive attitude about the department and the health center, and offers services to ensure positive experienceworks as a team with colleagues and providersaddresses concerns raised during or after an encounter by encouraging provider to make appropriate referral and/or assisting with making of appointment with right resource and booking interpreter as needed

Organizational skills:

works well under pressure to manage stressful situationsflexible to meet scheduling needs and handle often unpredictable changessound judgment and confidenceability to handle multiple tasksdetail-oriented and accurate

WORKING CONDITIONS:

fast paced clinical and office environment, with frequently changing prioritiesphysically demanding with the potential of long periods of standing timeemotionally challenging, as some interactions may be highly stressful requiring maturity, composure & sound judgmentdaily workload assigned by coordinators according to patient needs or by volume of incoming requestsPossibility of working from home some days of the week

The above is intended to describe the general contents and requirements of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of all duties, responsibilities or skills of personnel so classified.

 

Additional Job Details (if applicable)

Physical Requirements

Standing Frequently (34-66%)Walking Frequently (34-66%)Sitting Occasionally (3-33%)Pushing Occasionally (3-33%)Pulling Occasionally (3-33%)Climbing Rarely (Less than 2%)Balancing Frequently (34-66%)Stooping Occasionally (3-33%)Kneeling Occasionally (3-33%)Crouching Occasionally (3-33%)Crawling Rarely (Less than 2%)Reaching Frequently (34-66%)Feeling Constantly (67-100%)Foot Use Rarely (Less than 2%)Vision - Far Constantly (67-100%)Vision - Near Constantly (67-100%)Talking Constantly (67-100%)Hearing Constantly (67-100%)

 

Remote Type

Hybrid

 

Work Location

151 Everett Avenue

 

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

 

Employee Type

Regular

 

Work Shift

Day (United States of America)

 

EEO Statement:

The General Hospital Corporation is an Affirmative Action Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

 

Mass General Brigham Competency Framework

At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.