Interpreted encounters for interprofessional training in cultural competency

Over 25 million Americans are limited in their English Proficiency. Interpreters are considered essential to ensure best health outcomes for these patients. There is a need to prepare health professions students to work effectively with interpreters and to practice cultural competency. We designed a learning experience using a flipped classroom approach, where interprofessional student teams demonstrated effective communication with a patient of limited English proficiency using a professional interpreter. Patient and interpreter participants were from resettled refugee communities, an untapped patient resource for medical education, as they can share their cultures of origin and adaptation to a new healthcare system. Students’ effectiveness in meeting competencies for using the interpreter was successful for 80–92% of students as rated by faculty, peers, interpreters and patient participants. During debriefing, students reflected on and discussed the importance of interprofessional teamwork and case management, including the importance of team communication, to care effectively for refugees with low English proficiency. This interprofessional curriculum for health professions students has the potential to positively impact health inequities due to language divides by optimizing communication skills for working with interpreters.