What the heck is that?
So recently I received a letter from a college I applied to for nursing. Well... I didnt get into the nursing program.. something about my core not being completely done. I think maybe they denied all the students not completely done because they had SO MANY applicants. I mean 800 people applied.. and they only take 60 I think? Anyways, they sent me a letter saying I met all the other requirements for a few other programs and I should look into them.
HIM or Health Information Management... I am not too sure what this means.. but from what I goo.gled, I am thinking an office job dealing with medical records and patient history, with saleries from $37,000-161,000. WHAT?!? Uh yes please! The college even has it listed that more than half their graduates start out making $55,000, and within 5 years they are making $65-75,000. Umm.. I think I can do that and forget nursing. I mean I can still be in healthcare with this :)
HSA or Health Services Administration... I feel like its almost the exact same as HIM. And the pay is just about equal. I cant find the exact difference yet.. but I am still researching..
Umm... did I miss something? All I have heard since high school is nursing is the only way to go in healthcare. But these sound like great jobs.. in fact.. a little too good to be true. =/ It even says these fields are tripling each year. Next Wednesday, I am meeting with an advisor about the HIM program and I am going to figure exactly what it is. I also want to know exactly what needs to happen for me to get in :)
Total lurker who's been reading for a while...but I have my undergrad in HSA and my MBA with a concentration in health care admin so I thought I would chime in here. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the flexibility of the BA in HSA degree and have been blessed to have had wonderful jobs and opportunities. I also know a number of colleagues who are HIT managers (health information technology) and they love their jobs as well.
Good luck deciding...either way you go will be fantastic, I'm sure.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you commented and that you read our little blog!! :)
If you dont mind, would you please tell me a little about you day to day with HSA... I'm so curious to know what this is all about.. it sounds like such a great field to get into.
There's soooo much I can tell you. Probably waaay too long to write here. I'm in my mid-30's so I've been in the industry since graduating with my undergrad in the late 90's (gosh, I feel old). Throughout my career I've worked at 4 jobs - one for almost 9 years, 1 for 7 months (lol, hated that job - it was the boss, not the role), 1 for 2 years and I'm in my 4th year at my current job. I've worked in the managed care industry, third party insurance, pharmaceutical industry and finally health care consulting. The jobs I listed are in the order I've had them. There's no easy way to explain my day-to-day...the industry is SO dynamic and my functions change based on client needs/requests. Currently I do a good deal of business travel (75-80%) but that's most definitely not a requirement. The job I had for 9 years had very little travel. You can do anything from working at insurance company to becoming a hospital administrator, doing research, consulting, analysis...you name it. HIM and HIT is more technology based and focused. Still corporate and office based (travel opportunities if you want them) but more on the information technology side. I could really go on for ages...but I'll spare you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for that. It actually helps A LOT! I love that it changes everyday.. I dont want to be stuck in a job doing the exact same thing everyday. I thought it was more along the lines of patient admitting and billing ect. I'm really looking forward to it! Thanks again! :)
ReplyDeleteI just saw this...patient admitting and medical billing could also be part of the industry, but I think those are more entry level positions and wouldn't really require a bachelor's degree in many cases. Often medical billing or admissions is taught in a 2 year associates degree program. If you are interested in working in either of those, I'd suggest that you try to get a job while you are working on your BA, and then by the time you graduate, you might be ready for a promotion to manage all the medical billers or to run the admissions department for the hospital. There really are endless possibilities and thankfully, it's an industry that will always be needed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info! :) And I just found out I got into both the HSA & HIM programs!! I think I am going with HSA! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! That's awesome news!! Both are great as I mentioned...but I'm partial to HSA since that is what I am. You'll do fantastic and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!! Keep us posted on your progress...and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have in the future. :)
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