"I'll be right back." My grandmother, or my Mimi as I lovingly call her, and I patiently waited for the doctor to return. Instead of being delighted at her good diagnosis, as I thought she would be, my Mimi had an exasperated look on her face. "What's the matter?" I asked. My Mimi let out a sigh of disgust and asked me in a loud whisper, "Do you know what he just said?"

At the time, I was surprised by my Mimi's question. The doctor spoke English with no accent and offered to answer any questions my Mimi had, so what was the problem? The problem, it appeared, was not a bad bedside manner. It was the way the doctor conveyed my Mimi's medical diagnosis—by using advanced medical terminology instead of putting it in simpler terms. Even then, I was only able to understand him because of my affinity for watching medical procedure shows like Grey's Anatomy and Royal Pains.

I wondered, do other elderly people have the same problem my Mimi did? If so, who could help them understand their diagnosis? And what about the people who speak different languages? If my Mimi is having trouble understanding her diagnosis in her native tongue of English, how are people who speak other languages going to understand what the doctors are telling them?

While my Mimi will have to rely on herself or relatives to ask the doctor crucial questions about her health, people who speak other languages have interpreters to help bridge the communication barrier. However, despite this wonderful service, it is not always available to those who need it. As a result, the patient's family members who speak English, no matter how limited or advanced it is, often have to fill in as interpreters.

The American Hospital Association conducted a study in 2016 that found only 56% of hospitals across the United States have interpreters. Even though this number is a majority, it still isn't enough. Fortunately, there are laws in place that require hospitals to have interpreters. So why don't the hospitals have interpreters on site and readily available?

I decided to conduct my own investigation to see how the hospitals in both my hometown and college town handle this situation. After looking on the hospitals' websites and calling the hospitals' various departments, I found that the reason behind a lack of interpreters came down to accessibility.

I first decided to investigate Toledo Hospital, one of the hospitals in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio. After Googling "Toledo hospital interpreters," I was immediately directed to a website that outlined how to schedule an interpreter for your visit to the hospital. The interpreters have the option to assist the patient in person or over a video chat. While this website was helpful, interpreters were only available during 8 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays. What about the weekends and evenings? I called the hospital's interpreter services to find out, however I wasn't able to reach anyone.

I also decided to investigate Miami Valley, a hospital in my college town of Dayton, Ohio. While I wasn't able to find a direct hotline to schedule an interpreter, I did call the main number of the hospital listed on their website. The receptionist informed me that interpreters are available. However, like Toledo Hospital, they can only be scheduled during 8 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays. If the interpreter is needed outside of these hours, an administrative officer of the hospital needs to be contacted since they handle the hospital's interpreter services.

As I'm talking with all the operators and receptionists, I can't help but think, "This is a lot of trouble to go to!" I also couldn't help but wonder, "What happens if you have to go to the emergency room and don't have time to schedule an interpreter?" Will there be one readily available to use? Or will the patient have to rely on family members or the doctor's hand gestures to communicate crucial health information?

The University of California Berkley conducted a study in 2010 to figure out how malpractice cases involving a miscommunication due to language barriers could be prevented. In one of the cases they explored, a nine year old Vietnamese girl was taken to an emergency room. The girl and her 16 year old brother acted as the interpreters, since the parents spoke little to no English. The girl was misdiagnosed and as a result of improper medical treatment, she later passed away. Her family claimed that the misdiagnosis stemmed from the hospital's lack of interpretive services. The hospital later settled the malpractice case for $200,000.

The effects of not having interpretative services readily available have not changed. According to a 2016 study by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, cancer patients who were not provided interpreters were not able to understand their treatment options. As a result, their symptoms were not treated properly and the patients continued to suffer.

The need for interpreters is further reflected in job market statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for interpreters is rising by 18%. While this may not seem surprising on the surface, the need for doctors and surgeons is only rising by 13%. This means that, currently, our need for interpreters as a society is greater than our need for doctors and surgeons. Interpreters, while they may not make as much as doctor's do, earn a respectable $47,190 on average per year.

If you are one of those college students who isn't exactly sure what to do with their life yet, but who is good at a foreign language, consider becoming an interpreter. The rising need for interpreters helps to ensure job security. And since interpreters only require a bachelor's degree for education, you may be able to become an interpreter straight out of college. Who knows? You may even be able to save someone's life one day.