All interpreter staff became nationally certified and mean assessment scores rose after the career-ladder intervention

Description #

After the career-ladder intervention, interpreter staff credentialing and measured skill rose substantially. All 29 Language and Culture Specialist (LCS) staff were nationally certified by June 30, 2016, compared with just 3 before the intervention. Mean interpreter-assessment scores rose from an 80% preintervention average (range 64%–92%) to 85% at 18 months (June 2013) and 90% by June 30, 2016 (range 80%–97%), with two-year postintervention reassessments yielding a 2-to-15-point increase over preintervention scores.

"As of June 30, 2016, all 29 of the LCS staff were nationally certified as compared to just 3 before the intervention. Before the intervention, staff interpreter assessment scores averaged 80% (range, 64%–92%), but, through attrition and onboarding new staff, increased from 85% at 18 months after implementation (June 2013) to 90% by June 30, 2016 (range, 80%–97%). The two-year postintervention reassessments yielded a 2-to-15-point increase over preintervention scores." (Marshall, 2016, p. 470)

Methods Context #

What? #ⓘ

The observable: interpreter staff competence operationalized as (a) national certification status and (b) score on a standardized Interpreter Skills Assessment.

"A standardized Interpreter Skills Assessment was given to all current staff and as prescreening for any newly hired staff, with ongoing reassessment every two years thereafter." (Marshall, 2016, p. 470)

How? #ⓘ

Pre-post comparison of certification counts and assessment scores before (January 2010–December 2012) versus after (July 2013–June 2016) restructuring; staff given 12 months to obtain national certification (CMI, CCHI, or ATA) and reassessed every two years.

"Staff were given 12 months to become nationally certified by completing any one of the following: Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI), Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), or American Translators Association (ATA)." (Marshall, 2016, p. 470)

Who? #ⓘ

The 24+ dedicated Diversity Services language staff (29 LCS staff by June 2016) at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, serving a patient population of which more than 60% had limited English proficiency.

"There were 24 dedicated department language staff whose primary job was to provide in-person interpretation." (Marshall, 2016, p. 467)

Other Notes #

Score gains are partly attributable to attrition and onboarding of new staff (composition change), not only to upskilling of incumbents; the authors note this explicitly. Single-site, uncontrolled pre-post design.

Caveats #

• Interpreter assessment-score gains were partly driven by staff attrition and onboarding rather than upskilling of incumbents The reported rise in mean interpreter-assessment scores (80% to 90%) is explicitly attributed in part to compositional change — attrition of lower-scoring staff and onboarding of new staff — not solely to improvement of the same individuals. Because the workforce composition changed over the observation window, the score increase overstates the degree to which the career ladder upskilled incumbent interpreters.