A career in Health Information Management or Information Technology is right for you if you:

• See yourself in a career that offers diverse opportunities.
• Would like to work in health care, but not directly with patients.
• Have an aptitude for science, but also like management, law, and computers.
• Enjoy working with professionals: physicians, nurses, lawyers, administrators and executives.
• Want a career where you can choose to work on your own, with others, or some of both.

Health Information Management (HIM) and Health Information Technology (HIT) programs incorporate the disciplines of medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one curriculum. Because of this unique mixture, HIM graduates can choose from a variety of work settings across an array of healthcare environments.

Sarah started out at the College of St. Scholastica with the goal of being an occupational therapist. But she decided she wanted a way to work in healthcare without direct contact with patients. That’s when she found health information management (HIM).

Fast Fact: According to the US Department of Labor, HIM and health information technology (HIT) career opportunities are expected to grow an awesome 47 percent through 2012! Sarah loves the challenges and rewards of working in healthcare. She recently helped update her hospital’s medical records to begin implementing elements of the electronic health record. “It was a big change and a big challenge, but getting it in place and seeing it work is wonderful! Plus, it takes us one more step into the future.”

Sarah has two words for you about a career in health information management: “Do it!” Sarah sees an exciting future ahead for those interested in combining information technology and healthcare. “I think that the more knowledge and experience a person can get in the electronic world the better. Electronic health records have been and will continue to be a key issue in healthcare.”

Adam is already looking forward to his career in health information management (HIM). “All I ever hear about is how great the opportunities are and how much of an in-demand field it is. I’m really interested in seeing what this field has to offer.”

Fast Fact: More than half of new health information management graduates with bachelor’s degrees start with salaries in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. Five years out, many earn $50,000 to $75,000. New graduates with associate's degrees often start in the $20,000 to $30,000 range and move up from there.

The future holds a lot of potential for people who have interests in both healthcare and information technology. Adam says, “The electronic medical record, specifically, within the next 10 years, will probably be one of the biggest issues concerning healthcare.” Industry experts agree and see a complete change from paper-based to electronic medical records…it’s a huge, exciting task, and it will require many talented people.
The opportunities for careers in health information technology are limitless!

Anna is just one of many planning on health information management as a solid career choice. And why not? It’s a fast-growing, in-demand field, with real money-making potential.

Anna sees an exciting future for those with an interest in healthcare and information technology. “The electronic medical record will be a hot topic for years to come.” Industry experts see a complete change from paper-based to electronic health records over the next 10 years…it’s a huge, exciting task, and it will require many talented people.
The health information technology career opportunities are limitless!