Healthcare Sign Language Interpreter

Job Posting Title:

Healthcare Sign Language Interpreter

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Hiring Department:

Department of Psychiatry

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

20

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2027

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Dell Medical School is looking for a Healthcare Sign Language Interpreter. This position has an end date of 8/31/2027, renewable based upon availability of funding, work performance, and progress toward goals.

Purpose

The Healthcare Sign Language Interpreter facilitates communication between deaf or hard-of-hearing patients and healthcare providers, ensuring accurate and culturally sensitive interpretation of medical information. Reporting to the Lead Healthcare Sign Language Interpreter, this role supports a Deaf healthcare professional within a designated interpreter team model and collaborates closely with physicians, behavioral health clinicians, nurses, and administrative staff to support pediatric patient care. Key responsibilities include interpreting during medical consultations, translating written materials, and advocating for patients' linguistic needs. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Interpretation Services

• Provides accurate and timely interpretation during medical consultations, procedures, and patient education sessions with mental/behavioral health specialization.

• Ensures clear communication between patients and healthcare providers.

• Maintains patient confidentiality and adheres to HIPAA regulations.

• Maintains awareness and monitoring of hearing-deaf power differentials and strive to minimize them

Translation of Written Materials

• Translates medical documents, consent forms, and patient education materials.

• Ensures translations are accurate and culturally appropriate.

• Reviews and updates translated materials as needed.

Patient Advocacy

• Advocates for patients' linguistic and cultural needs within the healthcare system.

• Educates healthcare providers on cultural sensitivities and effective communication strategies.

• Assists patients in understanding their rights and available resources.

Training and Development

• Provides training to healthcare staff on effective use of interpreter services.

• Develops and updates training materials.

• Participates in continuing education to stay current with medical terminology and best practices.

Administrative Duties

• Maintains accurate records of interpretation services provided.

• Working with designated interpreter team to schedule interpretation sessions and manages interpreter resources.

• Participates in departmental meetings and quality improvement initiatives.

Other duties as identified by department

MARGINAL OR PERIODIC FUNCTIONS:

Community Outreach

• Engages with community organizations to promote interpreter services.

Emergency Interpretation

• Provides interpretation services during emergency situations.

Research Participation

• Assists in research projects related to language access and healthcare outcomes.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

Interpersonal Savvy 

• Relates well to all kinds of people, builds constructive and effective relationships.

• Examples: Builds rapport with patients, communicates effectively with healthcare providers, navigates cultural differences.

Customer Focus 

• Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers.

• Examples: Ensures patient satisfaction, addresses patient concerns promptly, provides high-quality interpretation services.

Decision Quality 

• Makes sound decisions based on analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment.

• Examples: Evaluates the accuracy of translations, resolves communication issues, prioritizes interpretation requests.

Ethics and Values 

• Adheres to an appropriate and effective set of core values and beliefs.

• Examples: Maintains patient confidentiality, follows ethical guidelines, demonstrates integrity in all interactions.

Learning on the Fly 

• Learns quickly when facing new problems, open to change.

• Examples: Adapts to new medical terminology, incorporates feedback into practice, stays current with industry trends.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Requires a Bachelor's Degree in (e.g., Linguistics, Translation, Healthcare). with at least 3 year(s) of experience in

• 3 years of relevant experience in medical interpretation.

• 2 years of general experience in healthcare settings.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master's Degree in (e.g., Linguistics, Translation, Healthcare). with at least 5 year(s) of experience in

• 5 years of relevant experience in medical interpretation.

• 3 years of general experience in healthcare, pediatric, and/or behavioral healthcaresettings.

 

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS OR CERTIFICATIONS

REQUIRED:

• Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CHI) or Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI).

 

PREFERRED:

• Certification in a second language relevant to the patient population.

• RID certification and/or NIC certification and/or Texas BEI certification.

Salary Range

$37,034+ depending on qualifications (based on a 20 hour work week)

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/EQUIPMENT

• Standard office equipment.

• Repetitive use of a keyboard.

• May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hazardous medications and disoriented or combative patients, or others.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.