JCCC’s Health Care Interpreting program is a selective admission program.
Requirements for Admission
Our Health Care Interpreting program admits 10-12 students per academic year. Review the admission requirements before applying.
Immediately apply for admissions to JCCC and generate a student ID number.
If you have questions or need help enrolling in a class, call Enrollment Assistance at 913-469-3803.
September 1-May 1
- Advising, testing, face-to-face interviews.
- Send transcripts to JCCC.
- Selected candidates will sit for the ACTFL OPIc in their non-dominant language.
- Final candidates selected for the Health Care Interpreting Program.
When summer and/or fall enrollment opens
- Enroll in HC 130 and/or HC 101 as advised by the supervisor.
March-May
- Selected candidates will sit for the ACTFL OPIc in their non-dominant language.
- Final candidates selected for the Health Care Interpreting Program.
May-July
- Submit documents.
- Additional candidates considered only if there is space available in the program.
- HCI 110 and 120 course waivers issued to those students who submitted their paperwork.
August
- Begin the HCI Program.
September-October
- Complete required paperwork.
January 1
- Check-off lists completed and all paperwork submitted to the HCI supervisor.
Please note: There is no testing during finals week.
To enroll in the Health Care Interpreting (HCI) program, you must:
- Have a minimum cumulative academic GPA of 2.0 or higher
- Complete the general application to JCCC
Once you are accepted by the College, you must demonstrate native or near-native fluency in both English and Spanish to enroll in the HCI program. You will be tested on your fluency through a written placement exam and an oral proficiency exam. Following these exams and a subsequent interview with the HCI supervisor, you may be approved to take an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview-computer exam, or ACTFL OPIc exam. An ACTFL OPIc exam will cost approximately $73.
Learn about the format of this exam
Email Christina Wolff, Department Chair and HCI Supervisor, at cdecasqu@jccc.edu to schedule Step 1 of testing. No exams will take place during finals week.
Assessment Interviews and Testing
HCI exams are a three-step process measuring English and Spanish skills. Prior to testing, you must have JCCC student ID number and be in good academic standing.
English Testing
- You must have one of the following:
- Minimum qualifying ACCUPLACER test scores
- Qualifying ACT scores
- Recommended: Completion of Composition I with a grade of C or higher
- English Short Exam Essay – minimum score of 80%. Demonstrate your ability to communicate in English. A scoring grid created by the HCI supervisor is used.
Spanish Testing
- Spanish Placement – minimum test score on the Avant placement exam
- Spanish Short Exam Essay – minimum score of 80%. Demonstrate your ability to communicate in Spanish. A scoring grid created by the HCI supervisor is used.
Meet with the HCI supervisor for an oral proficiency interview if your reading and writing tests meet the minimum above requirements.
Students who pass steps 1 and 2 will be advised to take the ACTFL OPIc exam.
Once the OPIc has been scheduled with the supervisor, it must be completed within 13 days or you will be required to repay the $73 fee.
Students who receive an Advanced Mid or higher ranking from ACTFL OPIc exam and meet the requirements as outlined in steps 1 and 2 will be admitted into the program.
If you do not receive an Advanced Mid or better on the ACTFL OPIc but have met requirements as outlined in steps 1 and 2, you may be considered for the program following a second oral proficiency interview with the HCI instructor(s).
If you do not receive the minimum ACCUPLACER scores, you may be considered for the program if you take English or English as a Second Language classes during your first semester alongside HCI courses, and you receive a letter of recommendationfrom an English or English for Academic Purposes professor at JCCC.
Be sure to review all of the department requirements for completing the Health Care Interpreting certificate.