CHS adds Health Information Management class

Carson High School Career & Technical Education has added Health Information Management, HIM, to its Health Science and Public Safety Career Cluster for the 2017-2018 school year.

Because the accepted understanding in the healthcare industry is all medical related professions will become fluent in HIM technology the new class teaches students how to handle and use patient health records and medical information electronically. HIM will be integrated into the Pharmacy Practice, Sports Medicine and EMT curriculums already being taught at the school.

“Long gone is the traditional paper method of storing patient records,” Kelly Gustafon, health science educator at Carson High School, said. “Very few medical offices or providers function without the use of a computerized electronic patient record.”

The Carson City School District has partnered with Physician Select Management, a provider of e-Clinical Works, a fully integrated medical records program used by 70,000 physicians nationally. This partnership will work to establish program standards which are recognized and valued by local healthcare employers like Renown and Carson Medical Group. Through the school’s College and Career Readiness Center, students in HIM will have opportunities for work-based learning experiences and one-on-one career guidance.

Originally, HIM was the brain child of Michele Lewis, vice principal and CTE administrator at Carson High School, and Len Hamer with Physician Select Management. When Don Bland, CTE instructor at Pioneer High School taught a first year Health Science I class with success, Lewis and Hamer saw an opportunity because Bland also had a professional background in Information Management. Bland initiated a sequence and while working with Hamer and several healthcare professionals, they wrote the Nevada State Standards.

“In order to ensure there will be enough qualified candidates for future positions, secondary Health Science HIM programs will be needed,” Frank Sakelarios, health science educator at Carson High School, said. “This will help provide a pipeline of future employees ready to move towards employment in this rapidly expanding career.”

Gustafon and Sakelarios further explained Carson High School students will have the chance to job shadow in local medical offices such as Carson Medical Group, Carson Urologists, and the Carson City Health & Human Services clinic creating an invaluable learning opportunity for the students.

“We hope this class, combined with the opportunity for work-based learning and exploring, will be a great motivator for students to enroll in this class and CTE classes in general,” Lewis said. “Our overall goal is improved completion rates and successful employment after graduation.”

For more information about Carson High School CTE, contact Michele Lewis at mlewis@carson.k12.nv.us.