OHCIA ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION

Course Information & Registration

Health Care Interpreters (HCI's) who are currently Certified or Qualified by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) or by the Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) are required to take Continuing Education classes over the 4-year period in order to renew their credentials. For further information on renewal requirements, scroll down to the bottom of this page. 

The OHCIA offers interactive and relevant classes designed to expand your interpreter knowledge in the areas of Interpreter Skills, Ethics, or Other Skills.  Please check individual class information below for accreditation details. Classes may be approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by CCHI, NBCMI, OHA or Washington DSHS.

In addition, some classes are accredited for certification renewal by the CCHI or NBCMI.

Some classes may be eligible for Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) Continuing Education credit.

Non-accredited interpreters are encouraged to take our 60-hour Health Care Interpreter training.

REFUNDS: No cash refunds.  Individuals who pay for a continuing education class and cannot attend may request a credit towards a future class if available. In the event a class is canceled, you will receive a voucher for a future CEU/class. NO EXCEPTIONS. If a refund is approved- it will be done through a check at the end of the month, if OHCIA received the request by the 20th of the month.

Interpreting Mental Health Services

The first part of this training will serve as an introduction to mental health services, and will lay the groundwork for an understanding of what to expect in mental health appointments. This will include topics such as: the vocabulary of mental health providers (decoding lingo), various types of providers (what do all the acronyms mean), what to expect in mental health sessions and how this varies between young people and adults, as well as the interpreter’s role in the therapeutic relationship. The second half of this training will be dedicated to education and understanding of vicarious trauma. This will include education around ways in which interpreters in mental health settings are exposed to trauma narratives, why this is so challenging to hear and experience in the therapy room, and how to manage the feelings that arise as a result.

Katie Azarow is a licensed clinical social worker in Oregon and Washington, and a certified alcohol and drug counselor in the state of Oregon. Katie has providing mental health services to children, teens and adults for the past 15 years. She has worked in a variety of treatment settings and has supervised new clinicians entering the field for the past six years. Katie’s career began in Omaha, Nebraska, where she spent five years working in dual-diagnosis treatment with teenagers, before moving to Oregon. In the variety of settings she has worked and trained, Katie has been privileged to work alongside interpreters of multiple different languages. It is only through these lived experiences (the successes and the failures) with other helpers in the room, that she has developed strategies for successful use of interpreter services within mental health sessions.

2 Hours of Continuing Education Credit

• 2.0 CEUs approved by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Suggested categories: Skills, Other

• 2.0 CEUs approved by CCHI

• 0.2 CEUs approved by NBCMI/IMIA

Saturday, July 20, 2024

1 PM - 3 PM PST

Best Practices in Interpreting Oncology Appointments

Presenter: Mary Soots

OHA topic: Skills, Ethics, Other

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON

Optimizing Online Research for Language Professionals

Presenter: Olga Bogatova

OHA topic: Skills, Ethics, Other

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON

Managing the False Hope of AI

Presenter: Ann Huynh

Suggested categories: Skills, Other

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON

Heath Care Interpreter (HCl) Qualified and Certified Continuing Education Requirements

The HCl credential expires 4 years from the date you have been approved as a Qualified or Certified health care interpreter (HCl), as indicated on your determination Letter.

All renewing Qualified and Certified HCl's MUST complete 24 hours of OHA approved continuing education (CEU).

Renewing applicants must indicate the CEUs that fulfill the following requirements:

• Six hours of health care interpreter ethics

• Six hours of health care interpreter skills

• An additional 12 hours that cover any topics accepted for continuing education by interpreter certification testing centers on the Authority maintained list provided for in OAR 950-050-0070

If you are planning to renew your credentials early, before the credential expiration date as indicated on your determination letter, moving from qualified to certified, you must still provide the required CEU hours on a proportional basis.

Moving from qualified to certified before expiration date:

The hours are calculated as follows:

The total number of CEUs needed is 24 CEUs; 6 skills, 6 ethics, and 12 other accepted topics. Dividing the 24 CEUs by 4 years:

1 year before your expiration date = 18 CEUs needed

2 years before your expiration date = 12 CEUs needed

3 years before your expiration date = 6 CEUs needed

Washington department of social & Health Services RENEWAL:

Please follow the link to their website for information about all the requirements.

Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS):

NOTE:  Renewal requirements must be met before the expiration date.

To maintain Certification, HCI's must complete the following CEU's: 

• 16 general credits

• 4 ethics training