2 answers
5
Questions
Updated
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I am really interested in the Medical Information Management field but I am still not familiar with this overall field. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the HIM field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers! I want to know more about…
What made you choose this career? Why?
How many years of college did you
need to go through?
What jobs did you work before you
landed your present professional
job?
What skill sets did you learn or
gain while pursuing your career?
What are some hard and soft skills you need for this field?
What would you do differently if you could go back in time?
Did you do any internships? If so what did you do and how were you able to get the internship?
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2 answers
Ghasem Dolatkhah
general practitioner, emergency physician
6
Answers
Updated
Ghasem’s Answer
Absolutely! As a general practitioner , I can provide you with some practical insights based on information I've gathered from my close friends who work in the Medical Information Management field.
1. Why did they choose this career?
My friends chose careers in Medical Information Management due to their passion for healthcare and their interest in utilizing technology to improve patient care. For example, one of my friends, Sarah, decided to pursue this field because she saw the potential of data-driven solutions in reducing medical errors and enhancing treatment outcomes.
2. How many years of college did they need?
To enter the field of Medical Information Management, my friends completed a bachelor's degree program, which typically takes around four years. They focused on health informatics, healthcare administration, or a related field to gain the necessary knowledge and skills.
3. What jobs did they work before their current professional job?
Before transitioning to Medical Information Management, my friends gained experience in various healthcare-related roles. For instance, Mark worked as a medical coder, where he gained a deep understanding of coding systems and how medical information is structured. Emily, on the other hand, worked as a healthcare data analyst, honing her skills in data management and analysis.
4. What skills did they learn or gain during their career?
Throughout their careers in Medical Information Management, my friends developed a range of valuable skills. Sarah became proficient in electronic health record (EHR) systems and used her knowledge to improve documentation accuracy and workflow efficiency. Mark acquired expertise in medical terminologies and classification systems, ensuring accurate coding and billing. Emily enhanced her data analysis skills, using statistical techniques to identify trends and patterns in healthcare data.
5. What hard and soft skills are necessary for this field?
In Medical Information Management, a combination of hard and soft skills is crucial. Hard skills include proficiency in health information systems, coding systems, data analytics tools, and knowledge of healthcare regulations and privacy standards. Soft skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving are equally important as they enable effective teamwork, decision-making, and adaptation to evolving healthcare needs.
6. What would they do differently if they could go back in time?
If my friends could go back, they would have sought out more internships or practical experiences in healthcare settings related to Medical Information Management. These opportunities would have provided them with a better understanding of real-world challenges and the chance to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. For example, Sarah wishes she had interned at a hospital's health information department to gain firsthand experience in managing patient records and utilizing EHR systems.
7. Did they do any internships? If so, what did they do and how did they get them?
Yes, my friends took advantage of internships during their education. Mark secured an internship at a healthcare organization's coding department, where he gained hands-on experience in assigning medical codes and learned about coding guidelines. Emily found an internship at a data analytics firm specializing in healthcare, where she worked on analyzing healthcare datasets and extracting valuable insights. They obtained these internships through their university's career services, networking with professionals, and actively searching for relevant opportunities online.
1. Why did they choose this career?
My friends chose careers in Medical Information Management due to their passion for healthcare and their interest in utilizing technology to improve patient care. For example, one of my friends, Sarah, decided to pursue this field because she saw the potential of data-driven solutions in reducing medical errors and enhancing treatment outcomes.
2. How many years of college did they need?
To enter the field of Medical Information Management, my friends completed a bachelor's degree program, which typically takes around four years. They focused on health informatics, healthcare administration, or a related field to gain the necessary knowledge and skills.
3. What jobs did they work before their current professional job?
Before transitioning to Medical Information Management, my friends gained experience in various healthcare-related roles. For instance, Mark worked as a medical coder, where he gained a deep understanding of coding systems and how medical information is structured. Emily, on the other hand, worked as a healthcare data analyst, honing her skills in data management and analysis.
4. What skills did they learn or gain during their career?
Throughout their careers in Medical Information Management, my friends developed a range of valuable skills. Sarah became proficient in electronic health record (EHR) systems and used her knowledge to improve documentation accuracy and workflow efficiency. Mark acquired expertise in medical terminologies and classification systems, ensuring accurate coding and billing. Emily enhanced her data analysis skills, using statistical techniques to identify trends and patterns in healthcare data.
5. What hard and soft skills are necessary for this field?
In Medical Information Management, a combination of hard and soft skills is crucial. Hard skills include proficiency in health information systems, coding systems, data analytics tools, and knowledge of healthcare regulations and privacy standards. Soft skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving are equally important as they enable effective teamwork, decision-making, and adaptation to evolving healthcare needs.
6. What would they do differently if they could go back in time?
If my friends could go back, they would have sought out more internships or practical experiences in healthcare settings related to Medical Information Management. These opportunities would have provided them with a better understanding of real-world challenges and the chance to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. For example, Sarah wishes she had interned at a hospital's health information department to gain firsthand experience in managing patient records and utilizing EHR systems.
7. Did they do any internships? If so, what did they do and how did they get them?
Yes, my friends took advantage of internships during their education. Mark secured an internship at a healthcare organization's coding department, where he gained hands-on experience in assigning medical codes and learned about coding guidelines. Emily found an internship at a data analytics firm specializing in healthcare, where she worked on analyzing healthcare datasets and extracting valuable insights. They obtained these internships through their university's career services, networking with professionals, and actively searching for relevant opportunities online.
Hi! Thank you for responding this helped a lot. How can I decide if I should earn a PH.D in this field? Were you in a college program? Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
Jenny
Updated
Stacie’s Answer
Hello, I would be happy to answer these for you.
What made you choose this career? Why?
The field in a way choose me. I started as a file clerk with having no knowledge of the field. I was fortunate enough to have met people early on who saw potential in me and were willing to give me hands on training. This field fit well for me since it was fast paced and was always evolving. I enjoyed it due to being able to help people without doing hands on patient care. It helped that there was always structure to follow and goals to be met.
How many years of college did you need to go through?
I went through a two year program. I had worked in the field for approximately 11 years before I went back to school. I was told by my then director that I was as far as I could get in this field without having a degree or certification.
What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
As I mentioned, I started as a file clerk doing loose filing on the weekend. Since that time I have held many different positions at different facilities over the years. Analyzer, physician area coordinator, and Director are just a few of the other titles I have held.
What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
Organization and prioritization were likely the two skills that I learned and have always been important to me. Knowing what the expectations were, meeting the deadlines, and being able to find what's needed have been things that I could not go a day without. Being computer/software proficient has been extremely valuable. When I first started in this field, records were not electronic, and most tasks were done by hand. So being a fast learner and becoming proficient really helped to move my career along.
What are some hard and soft skills you need for this field?
EHR knowledge, regulation standards, and HIPAA as well as any other job/organization specific skills. There will always be new skills you will have to learn, while retaining the old ones. Best if you can be adaptable. Customer service skills and being able to diffuse difficult situations also were very helpful. You deal with persons at all levels during their best and worst times.
What would you do differently if you could go back in time?
If I could go back, I likely would have taken more time to be mentored when offered. This was not the field I had originally set out for my life, so I didn't want to get overly involved with it. There was an opportunity about two years into my career that I had a manager offer to mentor me and teach me to code. This was in the days when you could be grandfathered in before needing CCS. Like I said, I declined. And although I learned when I went back to school, I feel I would have had a better foundation, and may have made a few different career choices if I had taken that offer up.
Did you do any internships? If so what did you do and how were you able to get the internship?
When I went to school and was finishing the HIT program, I did Direct Practice which was hands on during your last semester of the program. There were set things that I was expected to due based on the curriculum of the program, but there were things that were up to the Director of the location I was at. I did a wide variety of activities from filing, to learning work flow, hands on practice with coding and analysis, sat in on meetings, and worked through stats. A lot of the activities were mock, and not with live patient information. The school I was going to helped with finding the location. There were many local facilities that had agreements with the school to host students. This was long before Covid, so some things have changed. I made it a point that once I started directing to always be open to students doing their directed practice.
What made you choose this career? Why?
The field in a way choose me. I started as a file clerk with having no knowledge of the field. I was fortunate enough to have met people early on who saw potential in me and were willing to give me hands on training. This field fit well for me since it was fast paced and was always evolving. I enjoyed it due to being able to help people without doing hands on patient care. It helped that there was always structure to follow and goals to be met.
How many years of college did you need to go through?
I went through a two year program. I had worked in the field for approximately 11 years before I went back to school. I was told by my then director that I was as far as I could get in this field without having a degree or certification.
What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
As I mentioned, I started as a file clerk doing loose filing on the weekend. Since that time I have held many different positions at different facilities over the years. Analyzer, physician area coordinator, and Director are just a few of the other titles I have held.
What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
Organization and prioritization were likely the two skills that I learned and have always been important to me. Knowing what the expectations were, meeting the deadlines, and being able to find what's needed have been things that I could not go a day without. Being computer/software proficient has been extremely valuable. When I first started in this field, records were not electronic, and most tasks were done by hand. So being a fast learner and becoming proficient really helped to move my career along.
What are some hard and soft skills you need for this field?
EHR knowledge, regulation standards, and HIPAA as well as any other job/organization specific skills. There will always be new skills you will have to learn, while retaining the old ones. Best if you can be adaptable. Customer service skills and being able to diffuse difficult situations also were very helpful. You deal with persons at all levels during their best and worst times.
What would you do differently if you could go back in time?
If I could go back, I likely would have taken more time to be mentored when offered. This was not the field I had originally set out for my life, so I didn't want to get overly involved with it. There was an opportunity about two years into my career that I had a manager offer to mentor me and teach me to code. This was in the days when you could be grandfathered in before needing CCS. Like I said, I declined. And although I learned when I went back to school, I feel I would have had a better foundation, and may have made a few different career choices if I had taken that offer up.
Did you do any internships? If so what did you do and how were you able to get the internship?
When I went to school and was finishing the HIT program, I did Direct Practice which was hands on during your last semester of the program. There were set things that I was expected to due based on the curriculum of the program, but there were things that were up to the Director of the location I was at. I did a wide variety of activities from filing, to learning work flow, hands on practice with coding and analysis, sat in on meetings, and worked through stats. A lot of the activities were mock, and not with live patient information. The school I was going to helped with finding the location. There were many local facilities that had agreements with the school to host students. This was long before Covid, so some things have changed. I made it a point that once I started directing to always be open to students doing their directed practice.