Week 8 – Discussion Board 2

[Art Liebl]

In this discussion post mention some strategies you will implement when you approach the vast world of medicine and trying to learn about ALL that is involved with it. Which areas of medicine do you think are most common for interpreters to be used? How does that affect your approach to studying the different areas of medicine?

[Alejandra Gana]

I think the most common areas of medicine for interpreters would be.
Primary care, Family medicine
Emergency medicine.
obstetrics, Gynecology.
pediatrics.
Mental health, Psychiatry

once I know which medical specialties use interpreters most often, it can shape the study strategy. I can focus on what will be most useful in real clinical encounters
my approach would prioritize common areas.
master the essential vocabulary.
prepare for high stakes communication.
use practical scenarios.
develop cultural and emotional awareness.

[Dayane Malone]

I like your study strategies, thank you for sharing with us.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

Thanks for sharing

[Shannelys Guzman]

great job breaking down how you will do it thanks for sharing will also try those

[Brian Pacheco]

Love your strategies, thanks for sharing.

[Dayane Malone]

When I think about entering the world of medicine, I know it can feel overwhelming because there is so much to learn. To make it easier, I plan to use a few strategies. One strategy is to focus on one medical area at a time instead of trying to learn everything at once. I will also use flashcards, especially for long medical terms, and break them down by prefixes, roots, and suffixes so the meaning becomes easier to understand. Another strategy is to review real examples, such as common medical encounters or videos, so I can see how the terms are used in real situations. Repetition and constant practice will be important for me.
I believe the areas of medicine where interpreters are most commonly used include primary care, emergency medicine, OB/GYN, and pediatrics. These areas deal with everyday health needs, pregnancy, children’s health, and urgent medical situations things many patients need help with regularly. Because of this, I will focus my studying on these common fields first. If I become confident in these areas, it will help me handle most interpreting situations I may face.
Knowing which specialties are most common helps me create a plan for learning. Instead of trying to memorize every medical specialty right away, I will start with the ones I will likely use the most. Once I feel comfortable with those, I can slowly expand my knowledge into more complex areas.

[Shannelys Guzman]

Thank you for sharing those tips!

[Brian Pacheco]

Thank you for sharing, great tips!

[Emily Arias-Perez]

I agree!

[Shannelys Guzman]

I plan to do a few things to help me along my journey of joining the medical field as a medical interpreter. I like to keep a notebook where I can write anything down a word, a description, a useful tip I learn after as my knowledge will be growing daily through experience. I also plan to continue using index cards I would like to buy little containers to divide them and keep them stored by the medical category. I also plan to continue role playing and watching videos of interactions and keep learning as I always go, open to learning asking questions always and applying my knowledge.

I feel interpreters are most commonly used for primary care visits, specialist visits, surgeries, a test being performed or a procedure being done. I think the basics of medicine are needed since there are so many different areas as you gain experience in one area you strengthen those studies. Cant really pick one area to study since its broad medical in general is a large data base. Making sure I am confident and comfortable to ask questions always and anytime is most important cause I can never know everything.

[Brian Pacheco]

I do the same with the notebook, thank you for sharing.

[Brian Pacheco]

I feel interpreters are most commonly used for primary care, emergency Room, all specialty visits, surgeries, and with Mental Health Services. I do feel that there are many more areas where interpreters are used, these just being the more common ones. Currently I am using flash cards as well as a notebook to study and try to increase my fluency in the terminology/vocabulary as this has definitely been challenging. I feel that this is working well for me and I plan to continue once working. Using a notebook to quickly write down things that help me remember is useful for me to retain things better during practice discussions. I also plan on continuing to learn about different cultural differences as as I feel this is so important with being able to better relate/understand why someone does something or how they feel. Another strategy is continuing to watch videos and practice scenarios. Once working, I will have a better idea of how to strategize how I learn but I do believe a notebook will always be my go to.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

I think the most common areas of medicine used by interpreters are
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Family Medicine
Internal Medicine
Emergency care

I’ve been researching and reading ALOT. I’ve been taking NOTES on anything hard to remember. As I approach my career as a medical interpreter studying has helped me a lot, but I am still no expert. I don’t think anyone really is until our had real life encounters. Over the years of practicing interpreting will be less complicated my vocabulary will also be expanded.

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

Medicine is a huge field, and as an interpreter, it can feel overwhelming trying to learn all the different areas and the specialized terminology that comes with them. One strategy I plan to use is to start with the most common areas of medicine that interpreters encounter and focus on learning those first. This includes specialties like Otolaryngology (ENT), Pulmonology, Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN), Cardiology, and Pediatrics, because these are areas where interpreters are often needed. By focusing on the most frequently used terms and procedures in these fields, I can build a strong foundation before moving on to less common specialties.

Another strategy is to use real-life resources, like medical textbooks, videos, and practice scenarios, as well as listening to recorded patient-provider conversations in different specialties. This will help me understand how terms are used in context and make it easier to explain them accurately to patients. I also plan to create flashcards for medical terminology and review them regularly, because repetition helps with memorization.

Knowing which areas of medicine are most common for interpreters affects my approach because it allows me to prioritize my learning. While it is impossible to learn everything at once, focusing on the specialties that are used most often ensures that I can provide accurate and helpful interpretation right away. Over time, I can gradually expand my knowledge to cover more specialties and complex medical situations.

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