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How to Apply - Health Care Interpreting Program

JCCC’s Health Care Interpreting program is a selective admission program.

Health Care Interpreting grads make a difference

Bilingual JCCC graduates help patients and doctors understand each other. Read about some of their career and education experiences, and see what you can do as a health care interpreter.

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 3-until 12 candidates have been chosen for the Fall 2026 program

  • Send transcripts to JCCC.
  • See Steps 1-3 below.
  • Candidates must be in good academic standing.
  • Advising, testing, face-to-face interviews, by appointment. Contact Christina Wolff at cdecasqu@jccc.edu.
  • Students should bring immunization records to meeting for review.
  • Candidates pay for the FCSR background check and complete the Validity Screenings background check before they are admitted into the program.
  • Students who do not meet deadlines for testing and paperwork will have their names withdrawn as candidates for the program.

June-July

  • Additional candidates considered only if there is space available in the program.

August

  • Begin the HCI Program. Enroll in HCI 110 and HCI 120. You should consider enrolling in HC 130 as well.

November 1

  • Check-off lists completed, online trainings required by University Health and Children’s Mercy hospitals and proof of required vaccinations submitted to the HCI supervisor. Late paperwork could affect the grade in HCI courses.

Students enrolled in HCI 180 must complete the application for graduation for summer or fall graduation.

To enroll in the Health Care Interpreting (HCI) program, you must:

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 requirement:

  • 3.0 or higher cumulative unweighted high school GPA; OR
  • 2.7 or higher cumulative unweighted high school GPA AND B (not B-) or higher in most recent high school English course; OR
  • ACT Reading score of 18 or higher AND ACT English score of 18 or higher; OR
  • ACT Reading score of 16 and higher AND ACT English score of 16 or higher AND B (not B-) or higher in most recent high school English course; OR
  •  SAT ERW (Evidence-based Reading AND Writing) score of 500 or higher; OR
  •  ACCUPLACER Reading score of 255 or higher AND ACCUPLACER Writing score of 255 or higher.

If English is not your native language, you may need to schedule an Accuplacer test to determine your potential need for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses or upload documents proving you have met English language proficiency. 

Visit the ELL (formerly ESL) Placement Practices page to upload required documents

Spanish Requirement

  • BA from a regionally accredited university with a Spanish major OR
  • The equivalent of 4 semesters of courses at a university with the grade equivalent of a C average in a Spanish-speaking country OR
  • Spanish Short Exam Open-ended 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 interview and oral proficiency exam after fulfilling the minimum above requirements in step 1.

Students who satisfactorily complete steps 1 and 2 will need to provide a copy of their FCSR report before they may take the ACTFL OPIc. Register at https://health.mo.gov/safety/fcsr/. Students will take the OPIC in their least dominant language.

For questions about the OPIc visit Language Testing International (LTI). The fee is $73.

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 once they successfully pass background checks with no red flags and discuss their immunizations that are required for the program with the HCI supervisor. Students who do not meet deadlines will not be permitted to begin the HCI program in the fall.

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.

HCI 180 - Practicum Requirements

The HCI 180 Medical Interpreting Practicum gives you the opportunity to interpret in real world settings under the supervision of practicing professional interpreters.

This practicum takes place at University Health Truman Medical Center (UH-TMC) and Children’s Mercy Hospital (CMH). To participate in shadowing and practicum assignments, you must complete specific requirements. At the end of the fall semester, all students must complete and provide the following information to the HCI supervisor:

  1. Proof of up-to-date immunizations: records must include:
    1. TB tests from admitted year with readings*
    2. Two (2) MMR*
    3. Two (2) Varicella*
    4. Current year's flu shot
    5. Tdap no more than 10 years old
    6. Three (3) Hepatitis B vaccinations
  2. Completed and signed cover sheet from CMH.

*You may use a titer for MMR, Varicella, Hep B and TB. Ask the HCI supervisor for details.

You must submit documents to the HCI supervisor for both UH-TMC and CMH no later than November 1. The supervisor will FIRST approve documents. These documents include the following:

  • This year’s flu shot.
  • TB symptom review sheets for CMH and UH-TMC if required.
  • If you did not use bloodwork for your TB test, your second TB test needs to be completed and read by Nov. 1.
  • Required immunizations (MMR, Varicella, Tdap, and Hep B).
  • Cover sheet for UH-TMC

Children's Mercy Hospital

You will be required to attend an orientation and complete an online training module for CMH on its due date.

University Health Truman Medical Center paperwork instructions

  • Your documents will be sent to the HCI supervisor who will review the documents. Once approved the HCI supervisor will send a page with a signature confirming that the documents are in order.
  • You will use the approved documents and page with a signature to complete the application and badge and parking permits via the student application link.

NOTE: Some students may be required to complete the return to UH-TMC form. 

All students must complete the application for graduation form.

Students may not begin shadowing and practicum hours until they have completed paperwork.