Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine will open a health communication course in April 2021 to train medical interpreters (English and Chinese) in the master's program of the Graduate School of Medicine.
Although the number of foreign visitors to Japan is decreasing due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection, there is still a high need for hospitals to accept foreign patients (maintenance) because there are foreign residents working in Japan. in the process of.Many hospitals that accept foreign patients find it difficult to respond based on differences in language, culture, and lifestyle.The problem of language in medical care for foreigners is an issue for the global society, and the training of medical interpreters in Japan is an important issue.
However, at present, there are few professional interpreters who have been officially trained in the medical field, and people with backgrounds unrelated to the interpreter, such as the patient's family, friends, and medical staff, may become "smiley interpreters". many.For this reason, it has been regarded as a problem that it may lead to misdiagnosis, communication failure, and worsening of the medical condition.
Therefore, the Health Communication Course established by Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine trains medical interpreters who have been trained as communication mediators with deep knowledge.Completed a certified medical interpreter training course based on the medical interpreter training curriculum of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and acquired the specialized knowledge and techniques necessary for medical interpreting.Develop human resources who play an important role in medical interpreting by providing appropriate support to patients and their families in need of medical interpreting and supporting communication between medical staff and patients.
This course complies with the "Medical Interpreter Training Curriculum Standards" of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and graduates can qualify for the basic and specialized examinations of the Medical Interpretation Skills Certification Examination conducted by the Japan Medical Education Foundation.Those who have not studied medical-related subjects at the university have a curriculum structure that allows them to acquire the specialized knowledge and skills required as a certified medical interpreter by taking basic medical knowledge as a general education subject.
