Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
5-12-2023
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3043-8236
Publish
yes
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Advisor(s)
Diana Galarreta-Aima
Andrea Martinez Gonzalez
Marianne Mason
Abstract
Medical interpreters in the US are crucial health workers that specialize in facilitating communication between non-English-speaking patients and English medical professionals. Although much research has been done regarding the positive impact of professional medical interpreters on LEP (limited English proficient) patients' health, it is less known how medical interpreters’ lives are impacted in this line of work. Thus, this study was aimed at gaining a better understanding on the impact that this line of work has on the lives of medical interpreters. For this study, a survey was created with questions regarding demographics, interpretation’s certification process, interpreter’s satisfaction/experience, and mental stressors experienced in medical interpretation. The individuals who anonymously responded to this survey (n =48) were affiliated with the organization Remote Area Medical (RAM). RAM is a mobile clinic that provides free services to patients across the country. This organization contains various personnel, including medical interpreters. The survey results suggest that a small number of stress/negative attributes were experienced in this line of work (24%), the majority of participants reported no stress or negative life impacts (68%), and a smaller percentage preferred not to answer (8%). Additionally, another notable result from this study was that the majority of participants were not certified. Understanding the implications of working as a medical interpreter can help gain a better perspective on how to support these professionals who provide vital communication between non-English speaking patients and English medical professionals.
Recommended Citation
Herrarte Smith, Nicholas M., "Medical Interpreters' work impact on their lives: Understanding Medical Interpreters' work experience" (2023). Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current. 163.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors202029/163
Included in
Health Services Administration Commons, Interprofessional Education Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Quality Improvement Commons
