By:  Lisa Jorgenson, Medical Administration and Externship Coordinator, Moorhead Campus

What should we talk about this time around? So many things. Let’s see, politics? No. Health care?  No. Hmmmm. The holidays?  Maybe.

 Graduation! Now there is a subject. When I reflect back on my own college graduation the first thing I think of is that it was so long ago. I think of everything that has happened in my life since then and I ask myself, where did the time go?  A husband, a few different jobs, and two almost grown children. Then I think of my family at Rasmussen.  Even though I have only been with Rasmussen about 18 months I feel that my co-workers have become my second family, not to mention my student family.

 Yes, even some of the students have come and gone, but I must admit that I have a few students that hold a special place in my heart. I have seen these students grow and mature and am very proud to say that they are graduating this December.  I actually consider these girls as my second set of kids. Getting them through A&P, Pharmacology, Clinical skills I & II, Lab skills and now finally an externship. Maybe it’s just because they are my first cohort, I don’t know. Hopefully, as more students go through the MOA program, the closeness will always be there.

 Where has the time gone? 

BY:  Tina Reynoso, HIT Program Coordinator, Online

November 1–7, 2009, is Health Information and Technology (HI&T) Week!  From the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) website (www.ahima.org):

“HI&T Week is a showcase for the thousands of health information management (HIM) professionals who perform their duties masterfully throughout the year. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is honored to provide support, representation, and training to HIM professionals for these valuable contributions to the healthcare industry.”

We would also like to take this week to celebrate our nearly 1300 HIT students across all Rasmussen campuses!  Here are some of the many job titles and specialty areas our graduates can look forward to pursuing upon graduation:

—  Medical records coder

—  Health data analyst

—  Release of information

—  EMR implementation specialist

—  Departmental management

—  Systems analyst

—  Cancer registrar

—  Documentation specialist

—  Chargemaster auditor

—  Quality improvement

—  Transcription/editor

—  Information privacy/security officer

Learn more about the field of Health Information Technology, as well as the American Health Information Management Association at www.AHIMA.org.