University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.
Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC.
Med J Aust. 2019 Aug;211(4):170-174. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50235. Epub 2019 Jun 12.
To examine the extent to which medical students in Australia are acting as interpreters in medical settings, and their perceptions of this activity.
DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Anonymous online survey of final year students in the graduate medical program of the University of Melbourne, undertaken in 2014.
Numbers of students who had acted or who had been asked to act as ad hoc interpreters in health care situations during their clinical rotations and outside the medical education context.
146 of 319 final year medical students completed the survey (46% response). 106 students (73%) reported they could speak at least one language in addition to English; none had formal interpreting qualifications, but 40 (36%) had been asked to interpret during clinical rotations, and 36 (34%) had done so. The students described a diverse range of experiences, including complex interactions regarding informed consent and the breaking of bad news.
Medical students frequently acted as interpreters during their clinical training. Most did not feel appropriately qualified to interpret in clinical situations, and some felt pressured to do so, but many found the experience positive. Our study highlights the lack of clear guidelines regarding medical student interpreters in Australian health care settings.
调查澳大利亚医学生在医疗环境中充当口译员的程度及其对此类活动的看法。
设计、地点、参与者：2014 年对墨尔本大学研究生医学课程的应届毕业生进行的匿名在线调查。
在临床轮转期间和医学教育背景之外，有多少学生曾在医疗保健情况下担任过或被要求担任临时口译员。
146 名 319 名应届医学毕业生完成了调查（46%的回应率）。106 名学生（73%）表示除英语外，他们还能说至少一种语言；他们均无正式口译资格，但 40 名（36%）学生在临床轮转期间被要求口译，其中 36 名（34%）学生这样做了。学生们描述了各种不同的经历，包括与知情同意和坏消息告知相关的复杂互动。
医学生在临床培训期间经常充当口译员。大多数学生认为自己在临床情况下没有适当的口译资格，有些人感到有压力要这样做，但许多人认为这种经历是积极的。我们的研究强调了澳大利亚医疗保健环境中缺乏关于医学生口译员的明确指导方针。
