Healthcare Interpreter - Echo Cliffs

Navajo Preference Employment Act : In accordance with Navajo Nation and federal law, TCRHCC has implemented an Affirmative Action Plan pursuant to the Navajo Preference in Employment Act.  Pursuant to this Plan and corresponding TCRHCC Policy, applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for this position and (1) are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will be given preference in hiring and employment for this position, (2) are legally married to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and meet residency requirements will be given secondary preference, and (3) are enrolled members of other federally-recognized American Indian Tribes will be given tertiary preference. Overview:

POSITION SUMMARY

This position provides medical interpreting to include effective communication and interaction with the healthcare team during admission, examination, consultation, treatment plan(s), and/or procedure(s).  These duties include but are not limited to quality support to health providers through competent medical interpreting between clinical staff, providers, and nursing and Navajo speaking patients with limited English proficiency.  The incumbent is required to tactfully clarify information, correct misunderstandings or respond to the patient’s discomfort.  The duties of the interpreter support the patient’s right to equal access to health care and to serve as an advocate for the patient and the health care provider. Schedule is a rotational shift to support patient needs.      

Qualifications:

Education:

High school diploma or GED

 

Certification:

• Must obtain TCRHCC Navajo Health Care Interpreter certification within six (6) months of hire date
• Must maintain a current valid certification of the following throughout employment, if none, must obtain within ninety (90) days of hire date:
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association

 

Experience:

Must be fluent and highly proficient in speaking and understanding the Navajo language and demonstrate experience in interpreting highly complex English medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology into Navajo language.  

 

Other Skills and Abilities:

A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must address and indicate success in each one of the following areas:

• Positive working relationships with others and excellent customer service.
• Strong public speaking skills.
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints.
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences.
• Demonstrates awareness of ethical and cultural issues; and ability to engage patients.
• Ability to act as a cultural liaison between the patient and provider, when needed, by explaining cultural beliefs, practices, and differences that may influence the patient’s understanding, perception, and presentation of their illness.
• Demonstrates proficiency in medical terminology and concepts in both English and Navajo to provide accurate interpretation services. May require specialized training in terminology, concepts, and psychosocial considerations related to specific healthcare settings, including sexual assault counseling, elder abuse assessments, psychiatric encounters, and bereavement support.
• Completion of above-satisfactory scores on all job interviews, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the interviewees and TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical:

 Incumbents must be able to sit, walk, bend, maintain balance, and reach for prolonged periods during the workday, and stand and twist frequently (half of the workday). They must also be able to perform simple and firm grasping and use a computer keyboard and mouse. Sensory requirements for prolonged periods include near, distance, and color vision; depth perception; seeing fine details; hearing normal speech and overhead pages; and using a telephone.

Occasionally (less than one-quarter of the workday), incumbents must be able to drive, climb, kneel, crouch, use fine hand manipulation, and lift, push, or pull weights up to 25 lbs.

Mental:

 Incumbents must have the ability to handle multiple priorities in a stressful situation, demonstrate a high degree of patience and concentration, work in areas that are close and/or crowded, work alone, adapt to shift work, and have a high degree of flexibility for prolonged periods of time (¾ of the workday).

Incumbents must frequently (half of the workday) cope with high stress, make decisions under pressure, and remain calm when others express anger, fear, or hostility. They may also need to manage altercations occasionally (one quarter of the workday).

Environmental:

Incumbents are occasionally exposed to infectious diseases, loud noises, chemical agents; dust, fumes, or gases; extreme temperatures or humidity; hazardous or moving equipment; and unprotected heights.

Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Enables direct communication between the provider and patient by interpreting each expressed concept thoroughly and accurately into the Navajo language. Attempts to remain in the background and tactfully interject into the conversation to clarify information, correct misunderstandings or respond to a patient’s discomfort. 
2. Actively advocates for both the patient and the healthcare provider by translating information as the reason for a medical visit, past medical history, and family medical history, as well as explaining medical and surgical procedures, medical care instructions, drug information and scheduled follow-up appointments.
3. Always maintains patient confidentiality and avoids cultural misunderstandings between a professional and the patient.
4. Assists providers by developing a better understanding of a patient’s cultural background and how it may influence essential healthcare decisions.
5. Proactively learns new medical specialties and terminology, diagnostic tests, medications, and treatments used in a particular area of medicine. Examples include cardiology, oncology, and psychiatry.
6. Proactive work improves strong interpersonal and self-management skills to facilitate communication while remaining impartial and objective.
7. Proactively learns video remote interpreting (VRI) with remote video hookups through webcam-and microphone-equipped laptops to provide interpreter services.
8. Assists in providing basic introductory Navajo language classes for staff and assists in developing training and patient educational material. Training may be conducted via face-to-face, audio and/or video recording and held at satellite locations.
9. Prepares and submits required reports (i.e. data collection, evaluation, etc.) to immediate supervisor, including reporting of complaints and/or cases that may require special attention and/or follow up.
10. Attend all the training required as required by TCRHCC.
11. Always wear proper PPE while on duty including but not limited to, face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, if available), and eye or face shield.
12. Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly. (see CDC website for most current updates)
13. Complete task training for all routine cleaning and decontamination processes for all surfaces contaminated by a communicable disease to ensure a high level of patient, visitor, employee, and external customer satisfaction.
14. Demonstrates strong teamwork and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple disciplines and departments within an organization.
15. Demonstrates effective verbal and written communication skills when collaborating with various departments, clinicians, and immediate team members to support clear communication, coordination of services, and quality patient care.
16. Performs all other duties as assigned.