Improving Access to Language-Certified Physicians: Streamlining Bilingual Certification for Resident Physicians at Ochsner Health

Background: To ensure effective communication in health care settings, certification of fluency is required for physicians to speak with patients in languages other than English.Although the certification requirement supports safe communication, unclear procedures can prevent fluent bilingual physicians from completing the certification process.Methods: We initiated a process improvement project with the goals of simplifying the formal language certification process at Ochsner Health and encouraging pediatric residents to become certified as fluent in their respective languages.A bilingual resident collaborated with the residency program director and the director of the Department of Language Services to review the existing process, identify barriers, develop standardized educational materials, and provide peer support.Results: The revised process included a step-by-step educational presentation, certification checklist, clarified application and documentation requirements, guidance on language proficiency verification and self-assessment, peer mentorship, and the names of contacts in the Department of Language Services.Across 2 residency classes, 12 of 15 eligible residents (80.0%) completed certification by March 2026.Conclusion: A structured educational and peer-support intervention led to the majority of eligible bilingual pediatric residents in 2 cohorts obtaining formal language certification that allowed them to independently provide clinical care in a language other than English.