Educating Tomorrow's HIM Professionals
By Jackie Moczygemba, MBA, RHIA, CCS

Making the career move eight years ago from the traditional acute care setting in health care, to that of assistant professor in a higher educational institution was an exciting challenge. For quite some time, I had thought about teaching off and on, because I have always enjoyed explaining concepts and training other people. In addition, one of my previous positions in the early 1980s was with Dictaphone where I taught small classes on word processing. This was an activity I truly enjoyed as I watched clients overcome their fear of using computers. The classroom atmosphere was something I definitely wanted to get back into. It is exhilarating to be surrounded by enthusiastic and creative students interested in HIM career opportunities. Educators are a vital piece of the HIM profession, and more will be needed to sustain the profession in the future.

A recent AHIMA work force study, which surveyed education program directors, found that recruiting qualified faculty is a top concern for both HIA and HIT programs. HIA program directors cited faculty recruitment as one of their top three concerns (see footnote 1 below).  A 2000 white paper on HIM education indicated that while the number of HIT programs has grown in recent decades, it's estimated a third of current HIM educators anticipate they will retire within ten years (see footnote 2 below). Given this estimate, there is a clear indication that many AHIMA-approved programs are likely to need instructors in the future.

Is a career in HIM education the right move for you? If you currently enjoy a job function such as educating colleagues on privacy, coding regulations, or training new employees on computer software, you might want to consider teaching full-time as a career move. However, before you make the big leap, there are other opportunities to "test the waters" and determine if teaching is the right career for you. Many HIM programs are in need of guest lecturers to share expertise on a particular topic in the classroom setting or perhaps during a student field trip to the facility. Communication and presentation skills as well as the ability to assess knowledge level of the student audience would be needed for this type of HIM educational role(see footnote 3 below).

Another HIM education career opportunity for assessing your ability to teach, is that of adjunct or part-time faculty member. In this type of position, the faculty member formally becomes the teacher of record for a course or a lab. The education and knowledge needed depends on the level of the program and the requirements of the school. Most institutions will require a bachelor's degree or a certain level of certification. Some of the fundamental skills needed are the ability to interact with students, develop and conduct lectures, and create assessment tools which include exams, exercises and assignments (see footnote 4 below).

If you determine that a career move towards HIM education is right for you, the next logical step is to look for teaching opportunities near you with either a HIT or HIA Program. Both types of programs employ full-time faculty but each will have varying job titles and requirements. For example in the HIA Program, job titles range from instructor, lecturer, assistant or associate professor to that of full professor. Salary levels will also vary accordingly. There is also a career ladder in HIM education. Educators with considerable experience may aspire to become the program director (or chair). Most program directors continue to teach but will decrease their teaching load as their job role encompasses greater administrative responsibilities.

Once a person embarks upon a career in HIM teaching, I think it's important to develop a teaching philosophy statement. What is your approach to educating HIM students? Part of my personal teaching philosophy embraces the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson. My favorite of the seven is principle #3 which states that learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. Active learning is encouraged in classes that use structured exercises, challenging discussions, team projects, and peer critiques (see footnote 5 below). This principle supports the concept of academic freedom which exists in universities and colleges so that issues and concepts may be explored fully and a search for new knowledge is not hindered by teacher or student beliefs. Examples of active learning outside the classroom are student internship assignments and independent study opportunities.

In summary, there is much joy and fulfillment to be gained with a teaching career. Most educators are committed to inspiring greatness in students through their own various teaching philosophies and experience. Students will rise to the challenge with faculty who believe in them and genuinely care about each individual's learning process. There is a dynamic relationship between educator and student that continues far beyond graduation. Perhaps the biggest reward is seeing HIM students grow into HIM professionals.

Jackie Moczygemba, MSHP, RHIA, CCS, is an Assistant Professor in the Health Information Management Department at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. She is currently serving on the Texas Health Information Management Association Board of Directors in the role of Public Relations Director. Her past experience includes HIM management, risk management, and quality management. Jackie lives in Seguin, Texas with her husband and two teenage children.

Reference Notes:
1) Wing, Paul et al. "Data for Decisions: The HIM Workforce and Workplace: 2002 Educator Survey." Chicago: AHIMA, 2003. Available at www.ahima.org.
2) Joint Committee on Education. "White Paper on the Health and Well-being of Professional Education in the Health Information Management Discipline." Chicago: AHIMA, 2000.
3) Biedermann, Sue & Burrington-Brown, Jill. "A Spectrum of Opportunities: HIM Educators Needed at All Levels." Journal of AHIMA 74, no. 5 (2003): 55 - 59.
4) Same as above.
5) Chickering, Arthur and Gamson, Zelda. "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education." Special insert to The Wingspread Journal in June 1987.