This course is the first course taken in the MS in Health Care Interpreting degree program. This week long on-campus residency professional seminar will build a foundation of the practical skills and knowledge undergirding the master’s degree program. It is intended to provide the learner with an overview of the course management system, webinar software, and sign language health care skills development used throughout the program. This course addresses the theoretical constructs and the approach to the practice of interpreting based on the demand-control schema and reflective practice and the federal regulations and policies impacting communication access and the work of interpreters. The latest research regarding health care disparities in the deaf population will be presented and health care interpreting skill development activities will commence.

This interpreting course exposes interpreters to interpreting in mental health, cardiology, OBGYN, and orthopedic outpatient and inpatient settings. This course will expose interpreters to medical professionals, common medical service protocols, typical diagnostic and treatment dialogues or clinical "scripts" of common conditions, diagnoses, and initial presenting complaints. Exposure to this new content knowledge happens via observations of medical student practice dialogues with simulated patients and other problem-based learning activities. In addition to this new knowledge and the unique observation opportunity, participants will be further reinforcing and integrating the Human Body Systems course content in their analyses of medical interpreted cases. English to ASL/ASL to English skill development activities will be employed.

This course is a continuation of HICA 720 Health Care Practical Interpreting I. The course content will address interpreting for surgery, end of life care, pediatrics, and cancer inpatient and outpatient settings. It will also advance students’ ability to facilitate group supervision based on DC-S constructs. Using reflective practice techniques already employed and demonstrated in the program’s courses, students will be expected to emulate similar techniques with their colleagues. Case presentation and case analysis of actual interpreting assignments will form the basis for the course material and activities. Students will be expected to identify and articulate the unique contextual factors of the case (the demands of the job), the decisions made by the interpreting in the case, and discuss all ethical attributes of these demand-control pairings. Students will also be expected to use DC-S constructs to restructure the dialogue that emerges from case analysis discussions. Students will be further reinforcing and integrating the Human Body Systems course content in their analyses of medical interpreted cases. English to ASL/ASL to English skill development activities will be employed.

This course presents the underlying principles of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct and other ethical content material, including the four core principles of service professions and how these principles apply to practice settings. This course exposes students to actual interpreting jobs and practitioners, providing students an opportunity to explore how professional interpreters weigh and balance these principles in their daily work and how Deaf and hearing consumers perceive interpreters’ decision-making skills. The course also addresses the distinction between normative and descriptive ethics and their impact on interpreters’ decision-making. Students will have the opportunity to explore reflective practice techniques as a means to develop ethical judgment skills, to gain critical insight into the task of self-regulation, and as a technique to engage in self-care. The ethical constructs of demand control schema will be used as the framework for decision making. Etiquette and protocols specific to each setting will be discussed. Settings include: K-12, post-secondary, religious, healthcare, mental health, DeafBlind, performing arts, legal, VRS, VRI, and business and industry.

This course combines an introductory practicum experience in the field of ASL-English interpretation with a seminar component to allow senior-level students to engage in reflective practice as they transition into the interpreting profession. Students will undertake field experiences that provide them with firsthand knowledge and familiarity with current topics that impact professional sign language interpreters and the Deaf community. Practicum will also give students the opportunity to gain firsthand experience under the immediate supervision of a professional interpreter, who functions as each student’s mentor. The practicum experience will involve activities such as observing a mentor and other interpreters at work; interpreting under the supervision of a mentor; and weekly meetings with a mentor to discuss the practicum experience and to receive professional feedback. Building upon students’ practicum experiences, students will use the constructs of Demand Control Schema to guide their seminar discussions. Students will meet together weekly with their classmates to share observations and experiences gained from the practicum placement. Seminar topics derived from students' field experience will focus on language issues in interpretation, ethical decision making, application of the Code of Professional Conduct, making interpretation choices, and implementing successful business practices as a professional interpreter. Students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of field experience and related activities.