July 18, 2024 – Increasing job openings, competitive pay, making a difference for people, and the opportunity to work from home were just some of things attendees to the Health Information Technology Showcase June 27 at Santa Fe College’s Blount Center were pleased to hear.
Open to prospective students, the event featured program faculty as well as SF HIT graduates, who talked about their journeys and offered advice on how to be successful.
Program director Julie Shay, MBA-HIN, RHIA, FAHIMA, walked through the numerous career options for someone with the technical skills and healthcare knowledge that HIT graduates have. They include Health Information Technologies, Health Informatics Specialists and Medical Coder/Biller Specialists, among more than 30 other options. Most are anticipating continued job growth between 16 and 22 percent in Florida.
Santa Fe College’s program is highly respected with a 98 percent post-graduation job placement rate.
Graduate Christina Hastings, RHIT, who earned her Health Information Technology A.S. degree from SF in 2015 and her Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Services Administration in 2022, said the skills she learned in the HIT program were “boundless.”
“I learned to get out of my comfort zone. I learned patience, more self-confidence and drive.”
She currently works for UF Health as an auditor.
Miranda Wiliams, RHIT, an SF graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Western Governor’s University, praised SF’s program for preparing her to make a seamless transition into work, crediting the “rigorous coursework” as well as the mentoring she received from Shay.
Shay advised her “to keep learning and keep myself relevant in the field of HIM.”
She currently is a Coding Analysis Technology Specialist with a longer-term ambition to be a Compliance Officer or HIM Department Manager. She also mentors new HIT professionals.
Abigail Lance, SF graduate who earned a BAS in Health Services Administration, said the skills that have served her best were time management, the ability to work independently, patience, communication and setting realistic goals.
All the speakers advised prospective students to keep learning, build a strong network, embrace change and stay relevant.
Learn more about SF’s Health Information Technology program: sfcollege.edu/programs/3520.