Healthcare Interpreter (Bilingual/Trilingual)

Job Description:

Healthcare Interpreter (Bilingual/Trilingual)

Description

Description


THE HOSPITAL: When you need critical medical care, whether surgery, laboratory work, bringing a new life into the world, or for those unexpected emergencies, you can trust Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) to address your needs. VCMC is a fully integrated, comprehensive system of hospital, clinic and specialty services. The system provides access to health care to all residents of our county, with special emphasis on providing access to care for the underserved and those facing barriers.

THE POSITION: We are seeking a skilled individual who is bilingual in English and Spanish to join our hospital team as a Healthcare Interpreter. Under general supervision, the Healthcare Interpreter facilitates clear and accurate communication between patients, families, and healthcare providers by interpreting medical information in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner. This role supports patient understanding of diagnoses, treatment plans, procedures, and hospital policies, while helping providers deliver equitable care. The interpreter may also assist with referrals and connect patients to hospital and community-based programs, particularly for individuals who are culturally, economically, physically, or mentally disadvantaged. Trilingual candidates - especially those who speak Indigenous languages such as Mixteco - are highly preferred due to the diverse language needs of our patient population.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE (WITH TRILINGUAL PREFERENCE): The ideal candidate will be bilingual in English and Spanish, with demonstrated experience interpreting and clearly explaining medical procedures, forms, and healthcare information to individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. They will be skilled at navigating sensitive conversations in clinical settings and serving as a reliable point of contact for patients, families, and care teams. The candidate should also be proficient in commonly used computer applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, they should have practical experience performing general clerical duties, including answering phones, taking messages, organizing and maintaining records and filing systems. Trilingual candidates - particularly those who speak Indigenous languages such as Mixteco - are highly preferred, as they help meet the critical language needs of our patient population.

WHAT WE OFFER:
The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. Aside from our base salary range, an employee within this position may also be eligible for the following:

• Market Based Premium Pay (MBPP) - Incumbents may be eligible for an additional$4.50 per hour Market Based Premium Pay.
• Educational Incentive - An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate's degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate degree.
• Bilingual Incentive: Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill. Proficiency levels by exam are $0.69 per hour (Level I), $1.00 per hour (Level II), or $1.32 per hour (Level III).
• Standby Premium Pay - 1/4 of regular hourly wage or Federal minimum wage (whichever is greater)
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. If you participate in the County sponsored 401(k) plan, the County will match a part of your contribution up to 3% of your salary, on a per pay period basis. Following five (5) years of continuous County service, an additional 2% non-elective contribution will be made to the 401(k) plan.
• Health Plans - Y ou are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans.
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Pre-tax benefit towards eligible medical, dental, and vision care expenses.
• Pension Plan - Participation in the County's defined benefit pension plan that provides lifetime payments to retirees. Members are "vested" after attaining five years of retirement service credit. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Holidays - 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
• Additional Benefits - Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Plans, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Wellness Program.
• To learn more about the benefits, please follow the link below: https://vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/HR/MOA/docs/SEIU_MOA_2022-2025.pdf

PAYROLL TITLE: Senior Community Services Worker

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Health Care Agency - Ventura County Medical Center

Senior Community Services Worker is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is eligible for overtime compensation.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies for this position only. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: April 18, 2025
CLOSING DATE: April 25, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Examples Of Duties

Specific assignments vary according to the program assigned but may include all or a combination of the tasks described below:

• Provides in-person and/or remote interpretation between English and Spanish or another language for patients, families and healthcare staff across a variety of clinical settings;
• Accurately conveys medical information, including procedures, diagnoses, treatment options, discharge instructions, and hospital policies;
• Interpret patients' medical histories and reported symptoms; may assist in obtaining informed consent and explaining patient's rights and responsibilities;
• Supports providers by interpreting written forms, documents, and instructions to patients, families, and other involved parties;
• Responds to inquiries and explains agency/program policies to individuals and groups in the community;
  
• Stays current on health program guidelines and assists in patient enrollment and referrals;
• Participates in community outreach to share information on available services and health-related topics;
• Identifies and helps address barriers to care by connecting patients to internal departments or external community resources;
• Participates in care team huddles, case reviews, and required staff training sessions;
• Performs general clerical duties including scheduling, filing, answering phones, and maintaining documentation;
• Meets agency expectations for productivity, quality, and professional conduct; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and ensure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
Any combination of education and experience which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be obtained by:

Three (3) years of public service experience which includes either: previous and/or recent experience providing interpretation, or successful completion of a minimum 40-hour healthcare interpreter training program (e.g., Bridging the Gap, CHIA, or equivalent)

OR

One year of experience equivalent to that of a Community Services Worker which includes either: previous and/or recent experience providing interpretation, or successful completion of a minimum 40-hour healthcare interpreter training program (e.g., Bridging the Gap, CHIA, or equivalent)

Note: Public services are those services provided to the general public by a public non-profit community service organization or a governmental entity.

Substitution: Fifteen (15) semester units of college course work in social sciences, ethnic studies, communications, or a closely related field may be substituted for six months of experience up to a total of one year.

NOTE: If you are substituting education for experience (up to one year), verification of the college-level coursework is required.

• Submit your transcripts or grade reports from an accredited college or university which shows your name and reflect passing grades in the required subject; attach education verification documents to your online application or submit to Vivian.Merida@ventura.org as soon as possible or within 3 days of the closing date of this recruitment.
• If you need additional time to submit transcripts, contact the analyst conducting the recruitment for an extension at Vivian.Merida@ventura.org
• Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Degree(s) from a foreign institution require an academic credential evaluation to determine the U.S. equivalency.
• If the name is different on the transcripts from your application, documentation needs to be submitted showing the name change.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Must be willing to work night, weekend hours, including holidays as needed

DESIRED:

• Trilingual skills are strongly preferred, particularly in English, Spanish, and Indigenous language such as Mixteco or Zapoteco
• Experience providing consecutive interpretation in a public or private healthcare setting
• Completion of a 40-hour healthcare interpreter training program (e.g., Bridging the Gap, CHIA, or equivalent)
• Knowledge of medical terminology and vocabulary commonly used in acute care or outpatient clinical settings
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Familiarity with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems such as Cerner

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
Thorough knowledge of:

• Proper use of English and Spanish, including grammar, spelling, punctuation syntax, and vocabulary;
• Agency and program policies and procedures;
• Community structure and resources;
• Problems, needs and behavioral patterns of the clientele served.

Skilled in:

• Active listening;
• Note taking.

Working ability to:

• Accurately and fluently interpret between English and Spanish in both directions using consecutive interpretation techniques;
• Interpret in a third language, such as Mixteco or another Indigenous language, when applicable and qualified to do so;
• Exercise sound judgment, professionalism, and cultural sensitivity when interacting with patients, families, and healthcare staff;
• Follow instructions and adapt to the needs of fast-paced clinical environments;
• Collaborate effectively as part of an interdisciplinary care team;
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with individuals from diverse linguistic, cultural, social and economic backgrounds;
• Assist individuals with interpretation who may be physically or mentally impaired, or who face social or economic barriers to care;
• Perform moderately complex clerical tasks independently, including organizing and maintaining records, managing schedules, and extracting and verifying information from multiple sources;
• Operate standard office equipment and uses common computer applications and Electronic Health Record systems accurately and efficiently.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/hr. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION : If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION - qualifying: A training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written response to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process may consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills and abilities. It is highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence.

ORAL EXAM - 100%: A job-related oral exam may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which the job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

NOTE: If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral exam will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

Applicants successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Vivian Merida by telephone at (805) 677-5231 or by e-mail at Vivian.Merida@ventura.org .

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)

(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
• Retirement FAQ's
• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ,UPT, UWS

Closing Date/Time: 4/25/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

Salary:

$43,680.00 - $53,817.97 Annually