CMIT® with
Penn State University

• LanguageStat Communication Skills Test (CST);
• Language Line Academy’s Linguistic Proficiency Test (LPT);
• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL);
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):
1. Written form (TOEFL PBT)
2. Internet-based (TOEFL iBT)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Associate’s degree or four semester dictated in the language being claimed.

Students will receive general feedback after the final exam in case they need to retake it. Recommendations will be given as to which lessons need to be reviewed with more detail.

Core Medical Interpreter Training® (CMIT®) is a basic medical interpreter training course. Training is NOT certification.

 Although National Certification should be your next professional goal, it entails a whole separate process with three stages; each stage is pre-requisite for the next stage:

• Application: Review of training credentials and work experience.
• Written examination: covering protocol, rules of engagement, interpreting skills, and codes of ethics.
• Oral examination: only available in seven languages total: Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

The Core Medical Interpreter Training® (CMIT®) is a basic course that provides a great overall and specific preparation to achieve national certification, it helps exceed the requested minimum number of training hours and preparation of protocol, skills for interpreting, and codes of ethics.

CMIT® prepares the student to apply for a job at local or out-of-state language agencies and health systems for face-to-face and remote interpreting. Although the requirements in each particular agency or health system may vary, CMIT® provides solid basic training and exceeds the minimum of 40 hours of basic training usually requested for employment.

Not all training organizations offer job opportunities after completion of the CMIT® course. Of those organizations that do, each organization determines its specific requirements for recruiting students. Typically, they may offer working opportunities as independent contractors to students with outstanding linguistic proficiency, performance in the CMIT® program, and showing great interpreting skills.

It is recommended that students prepare their resumes before finishing CMIT® and present them to the instructor for potential feedback. CMIT® training organizations should provide a list of local language agencies that students may use as a starting point to apply for potential job opportunities.

This availability depends on each organization’s policies for a practicum and protection of patients’ privacy.

CMIT® students should pursue low-complexity jobs through language agencies first in order to build confidence and practice medical terminology. Moving into more difficult and complex interpreting encounters should be a progressive process that depends on the individual qualifications and expertise of CMIT® graduates. Most health systems or hospitals require two to three years of experience in a clinic or hospital setting as a minimum. In several places, health care organizations are now requiring nationally certified interpreters in their job postings.

Basic medical interpreter training is required to work at most hospitals and language agencies. The current evolution of the medical interpreter’s profession is demanding a greater number of training hours and national certification credentials.

However, there are certain organizations that do not follow national training and professional standards for medical interpreting established and recommended by professional and regulatory bodies such as the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC), the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Executive Order 13166, the Joint Commission, the Office of Minority Health, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Some organizations continue hiring “bilingual” individuals to cover their systemic language needs. The only way to consolidate a profession is to be trained and certified using standardized assessments. That is how other healthcare professions operate.

CMIT® is a training course that exceeds the national training standards established by the National Council for Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC). CMIT® provides 60 to 100 hours of training incorporating the highest training standards established in 2014 by the State of Oregon, covering a minimum of 8 hours on the codes of ethics and 60 hours or more of total live training time.

CMIT® is a dynamic course with continuous improvements in curriculum and training resources, which focuses on building skills for interpreting and facing ethical challenges. 

Other 40-hour training courses were instrumental in establishing basic training for more than 25 years. However, CMIT® continues to evolve and include the best available tools and resources to face the challenges of onsite and remote interpreting in health care.

Some CMIT® training organizations may offer limited financial aid or scholarships. However, CMIT® is not affiliated with any local, state, or federal program that provides tuition and financial aid to students.