OAR 333-002-0040
Eligibility Standards for Registry Enrollment, Qualification and Certification

(1)

Individuals enrolled in the Health Care Interpreter (HCI) registry shall:

(a)

Be at least 18 years of age.

(b)

Have a high school diploma or a GED from an accredited school in the United States of America or an equivalent education from another country.

(A)

Individuals from other countries may apply to the Authority for an exception to this requirement when documentation to prove education is not available.

(B)

Exceptions are at the sole discretion of the Authority.

(c)

Not be on the Medicaid Exclusion list.

(d)

Pass a background check in accordance with ORS 181A.200 (Authority of Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority and Employment Department to require fingerprints), OAR chapter 125-divison 7 and OAR chapter 943 Division 007.

(e)

Abide by the National Code of Ethics and National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care.

(f)

Abide by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct, if applicable.

(g)

Submit the required forms and documentation to become a certified or qualified health care interpreter as defined by these rules.

(2)

Applicants seeking to become a qualified health care interpreter for a spoken language or languages shall:

(a)

Comply with the requirements set out in section (1) of this rule;

(b)

Provide written verification of at least 60 hours of formal training as defined in OAR 333-002-0060 (Formal Training and Work Experience Requirements), unless they meet the requirements outlined in section 3 of this rule; and

(c)

Demonstrate health care interpreting knowledge by passing a skill evaluation offered by an Authority approved language proficiency testing center on the Authority maintained list provided for in OAR 333-002-0070 (Approval of Testing Centers, Skill Evaluation and Assessment), or meet equivalent language proficiency requirements set by the Authority.

(3)

Educators and trainers of health care interpreters who have worked in the field for two consecutive years at any time from January 2, 2010 to the present may receive credit for 40 hours of the 60 hour requirement by providing valid documentation from an established registry or institution for time spent training health care interpreters.

(4)

Applicants seeking to become a qualified healthcare interpreter for American Sign Language shall:

(a)

Comply with the requirements set out in section (1) of this rule;

(b)

Provide written verification of certification in American Sign Language interpreting from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf;

(5)

Applicants seeking to become a certified healthcare interpreter in a spoken language or languages shall:

(a)

Comply with the requirements set out in section (1) and (2) of this rule; and

(b)

Pass an approved certification test at a medical interpreter certification testing center on the Authority maintained list provided for in OAR 333-002-0070 (Approval of Testing Centers, Skill Evaluation and Assessment).

(6)

Applicants seeking to become a certified healthcare interpreter in American Sign Language shall:

(a)

Comply with the requirements set out in section (1) and (4) of this rule;

(b)

Provide written verification of at least 60 hours of formal training from an Authority approved training center as defined in OAR 333-002-0060 (Formal Training and Work Experience Requirements).

(7)

The Authority may accept formal training from entities outside of Oregon that demonstrate their criteria are equal to or exceed Oregon’s criteria as established by these rules.

Source: Rule 333-002-0040 — Eligibility Standards for Registry Enrollment, Qualification and Certification, .

Last Updated

Jun. 8, 2021

Rule 333-002-0040’s source at