My chosen career path is that of a health information technician working in a hospital. There are many things about this career field that are great for someone who likes computers and wants to work in the growing heath care field, but not work directly with patients.
In this paper I will go over the job descriptions and responsibilities of a health information technician, the skills and education required to enter into this field, the work settings, and the salary. Lastly, how these things fall into play with my career goals. Firstly, would be the job description and responsibilities of a health information technician.One of the main jobs that a health information technician is responsible for is putting together patient health information from multiple sources such as medical histories, exam and test results, symptoms, and treatment methods in a manner that is secure and accurate.
(Cleveland Clinic, 2013) In a hospital work setting you would also prepare medical records from the ER, surgery department, and patients who are being discharged, into a secure electronic system accurately and release that information to the correct place for patient care. ("Health information technician," 2014)These responsibilities are very important to allow those in charge of patient care to be able to retrieve a patient’s information quickly and knowing it is accurate, be able to administer proper care in a timely fashion. Next would be the skills and education that are required to enter into this field. Education that is needed is an associate’s degree (or two years) in information technology.
This should include an understanding of medical terminology as well as knowledge of anatomy.As well, once that degree has been achieved one should sit for the RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) exam that is given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). (Hackethal, 1999) You need to have good computer skills to be in this job. Skills such as keyboards skills like being able to type at least 30 words per minute, ability to use bar code scanners, and printers, fax machines, scanners, as well as computer skills in general.
You need to have good communication skills as you will be working with many people from different medical backgrounds as well as vendors, and insurance companies.Very importantly you need to be very detail orientated and be able to handle the stress of working in a fast paced environment. ("Health information technician," 2014) There are many work settings that a health information technician can work in, from hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, law offices, insurance companies, correctional facilities, and mental health facilities. I would like to work in the hospital setting.
A hospital would be a 24 hour facility which would allow more night and weekend shifts. (Hackethal, 1999) It is still an office setting as opposed to the way we most view the hospital.Most of your time is spent on the computer and paying close attention to detail. Salary for a health information technician is around $32,350 as the annual median salary. However 80% earned between $21,240 and $53,430. (Hackethal, 1999) The employment in this field is expected to grow 21% before 2020 which is much faster than other professions.
(Hackethal, 1999) I am one who enjoys working on computers and has a great attention to detail. I wanted to work someplace where I felt as though I could make a difference but did not want to work directly with patients.This is a career I feel as though will be a good fit for me and has much room for advancement as well. I would like to get into a job at a local hospital and get a few years’ experience under my belt and then go on to get my bachelor’s degree and move up to possibly become a registered health information administrator.
So with all the statistics and information in front of you, you can see that there are many advantages to this career and with the degree from DeVry University only a few short months away, the next chapter of my life will begin shortly. Once I take the RHIT exam and find the job that is right for me I will be on my way.
