Health Information Management

The Beginner's Guide to a Health Information Management Degree

The earliest-known medical prescriptions appear on a Sumerian clay tablet dating back around 4,000 years. Carefully inscribed into the soft clay, the prescriptions largely revolve around disgusting things, and beer. Here are three samples:

  • Pulverize the roots of the...tree and dried river bitumen; pour beer over it, rub with oil, fasten as a poultice.
  • Pulverize river mud, knead with water, rub with crude oil, and fasten as a poultice.
  • Pour strong beer over the resin of the...plant; heat over a fire; put this liquid in river bitumen oil, and let the sick person drink.

You might think these prescriptions were put together by a college fraternity, but for their time they were advanced medicine. We only know of these “cures” because a scribe—a healthcare information manager—was on hand to press a little wood tool into moist clay. Just as today, the medical records of 4,000 years ago were only as good as the healthcare IT person handling them. If this field is as clear to you as that Sumerian river mud, this basic guide to a health information management degree may help you decide that the healthcare information industry is right for you. 

What does it take to become a Health Information Manager?

You can get an Associate of Applied Science—A.A.S. in Health Science—in as little as 15 months at some accelerated universities You can be ready to work upon completion of your coursework. You can, of course, continue in your studies and pursue higher levels of education and gather more degrees.

Earn an A.A.S. in Health Science . . . ASAP

One of the best aspects of getting an A.A.S. in Health Science is the concentration you can select in Health Information Management. From your first semester, you can be taking classes specific to the field: 

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Ethical and Legal Aspects of Health Information Management
  • Health Information Technology I
  • Pharmacology
  • Pathophysiology

If you are not sure what pathophysiology is, and whether you can even pass a class with a name you cannot pronounce, take heart. Pathophysiology can increase your familiarity with how the human body reacts when diseased or injured, such as when some poor soul has been rubbed all over with dried river bitumen and beer! As a healthcare information manager, you need to be familiar with a wide range of illnesses, injuries, medicines and procedures. 

After starting your coursework, you may feel eager to diagnose your friends and family with everything you have learned about. You have to remember, however, that you are gaining clinical knowledge to record and archive important medical records, so try to avoid convincing your mother that she has hyperekplexia (uncontrollable jumping and fainting when startled)!  

Back to Basics

You do need to be well-rounded, so you will take a few courses in basic education, such as these: 

  • College Composition: Writing is—what is that word, on the tip of the tongue—hard, so learning to write makes you more professional
  • College Algebra: Contrary to the general consensus of eighth-graders, mathematics is used daily and does not make you a nerd
  • Introduction to Psychology: Understanding how people think and react is a big advantage in dealing with stressed patients and doctors
  • Principles of Communication: You need to communicate clearly and effectively with other professionals and patients

In Good Company at Great Companies

With an A.A.S. in Health Science, you can be prepared to enter the healthcare information management field, with possible tracks that can take you to a variety of healthcare settings including:

  • Hospitals
  • Physicians’ Groups
  • Academic institutions
  • Healthcare software companies
  • Government agencies
  • Emergency medical centers

This exciting field offers you the opportunity to be involved with aspects of medicine, management, and finance, and be regarded with respect by coworkers because you must adhere to strict state and federal laws surrounding patient privacy, doctor-patient confidentiality, and finances. 

Earn a degree in Health Information Management

If you’d like to join this rewarding profession, consider attending ECPI University’s College of Health Science, Medical Careers Institute. In just 18 months, you can earn your Associate of Applied Science in Health Science with a concentration in Health Information Management through the University’s year-round program. You can then begin your future working in a modern environment, no clay tablets needed! 

Contact ECPI University today—it could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Health Science TODAY!

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