Florida Health Information Management Association

	Careers in HIM
	FHIMA Mentorship Program
	Health Information Technology Programs
	Health Information Administration Programs
	Coding Certificate Programs
	Student Toolkit

The first step in your career planning process is to discover your interests and then match them to careers. If you have an interest in healthcare and information technology, health information management (HIM) may be the right career choice for you. As one of the fastest growing occupations in one of the fastest growing industries, a HIM career places you right where the expanding arena of healthcare meets the cutting edge of technology.

What is Health Information Management

HIM professionals play a critical role in maintaining, collecting and analyzing the data that doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers rely on to deliver quality healthcare. They are experts in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems and coding the diagnosis and procedures for healthcare services provided to patients. HIM professionals work in a multitude of settings throughout the healthcare industry including hospitals, physician offices and clinics, long-term care facilities, insurance companies, government agencies and home care providers.

Growth and Income

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of HIM professionals is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2008. On top of strong job prospects, competitive salaries also await HIM graduates. More than half of new HIM graduates with a bachelor's degree start with salaries in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. Five years out, many are earning $50,000 to $75,000. New HIM graduates with an associate's degree can earn $20,000 to $30,000 annually.

How to Get Started on Your HIM Career

Education:

You need to complete either an associate's or bachelor's degree in HIM from an accredited institution. The list below identifies the accredited HIT and HIA programs in Florida. These programs are accredited by the Commission of the Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) in cooperation with the Council on Accreditation of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

FHIMA Mentorship Program

The FHIMA “Bridging the Gap” Task Force Mentorship Program was created for students throughout the state of Florida. We are currently recruiting FHIMA members to become mentors for January-September 2009. For students desiring to have mentor applications are currently available.

We will continue to seek HIM Professionals who are interested in mentoring HIT and HIA students during the mentorship program term. If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please click on the link below to access the Mentorship Program Guidelines. You can fax your signed commitment agreement to Gwen Clippard at 727-328-6147.

We had a very successful inaugural year with the Mentorship Program and look forward to increasing our mentors and students in 2009. Thank you for helping to Bridge the Gap between education and employment.

Click here for the Mentorship Program Guidelines and Commitment Form.

For more information, please contact any member of the Mentorship Program Committee Team!

Donna Retallack

Gwen Clippard

Barbara Bermudez

Hertencia Bowe

NOTE: This is a listing of ACCREDITED programs that have been accredited through AHIMA. Only those programs accredited through AHIMA are listed. We do not list schools/programs that are not accredited through AHIMA.

Health Information Technology Programs

Broward Community College
Health Information Management Program
1000 Coconut Creek Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33066
(954) 201-2086
Charline Bumgardner, BA, RHIT
cbumgard@broward.edu

Central Florida Community College
Health Information Management Program
3001 SE College Road
Ocala, FL 34474
(352) 854-2322 Ext. 4-1
Suzanne B. Garrett, MSA, RHIA
garretts@cf.edu

Daytona State College
Health Information Management Program
1200 International Speedway Blvd West
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Nancy Thomas, EdD, RHIA
(386) 506-3748
thomasn@daytonastate.edu

Florida Community College of Jacksonville
Health Information Management Program
North Campus-HIM Program
4501 Capper Road - North Campus
Jacksonville, FL 32218
Eudelia Thomas, MS, RHIA
(904) 766-6749
ethomas@fccj.edu

Hodges University
Health Information Management Program
4501 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33966
Deborah Howard, MA, RHIA, CCS
(239) 482-0019
dhoward@internationalcollege.edu

Indian River Community College
Health Information Management Program
3209 Virginia Avenue
Fort Pierce, FL 34981-5599
Claudia Keating, MEd, RHIA
(561) 462-4911
ckeating@ircc.edu

Lake Sumter Community College
Health Information Management Program
9501 U.S. Highway 441
Leesburg, FL 34788-9751
Brandy Ziesemer, MA, RHIA, CCS
(352) 435-6414
ziesemerb@lscc.edu

Miami Dade College
Health Information Management Program
Medical Center Campus
950 NW 20th Street, Room 2241
Miami, FL 33127-4693
Mary Worsley, MS, RHIA
(305) 237-4156
mworsley@mdc.edu

Pensacola Junior College
HIM Program - Warrington Campus
5555 W. Highway 98
Pensacola, FL 32507
Donna Shumway, M.Ed., RHIA
(850) 484-2213
dshumway@pjc.edu

Polk Community College
Health Information Technology Program
999 Avenue H, NE, Station #10
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Hertencia Bowe, MSA, RHIA
(863) 297-1010 ext.5370
hbowe@polk.edu

Saint Johns River Community College
Health Information Management Program
283 College Drive
Orange Park, FL 32065
Sheila Newberry, MEd, RHIT
(904) 276-6758
sheilanewberry@sjrcc.edu

Saint Petersburg College
Health Information Management Program
PO Box 13489
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
Angela Picard, MEd, RHIA
(727) 341-3623
picarda@spcollege.edu

Santa Fe Community College
Health Information Management
3000 Northwest 83rd St., Bldg C-Room 002
Gainesville, FL 32606
Karen Bakuzonis, MSHA, RHIA
352-381-3828
karen.bakuzonis@sfcc.edu

Health Information Administration Programs

Florida A&M University
Division of Health Information Management
324 Lewis-Beck Allied Health Building
Tallahassee, FL 32307
Marjorie H. McNeill, PhD, RHIA, CCS
(805) 561-2021
marjorie.mcneill@famu.edu

Florida International University
College of Health - HIM Program
1900 SW 13th Street, HLS Room 136
Miami, FL 33199
Sandra McDonald, MHSA, RHIA
(305) 348-0406
mcdons@fiu.edu

University of Central Florida
Health Information Management Program
P.O. Box 162200
Orlando, FL 32816
Alice Noblin, MBA, RHIA
(407) 823-2359
anoblin@mail.ucf.edu

Coding Certificate Programs

Seminole Community College
100 Weldon Blvd.
Sanford, FL 32773-6199
Christine Tufts-Maher, M.S., RHIA
407-328-2391
tuftsmac@scc-fl.edu

Herzing College
1595 S Semoran Blvd. #1501
Winter Park, FL 32792
Shelley Safian, MAOM/HSM, CCS-P, CPC-H, CHA
407-478-0500 ext. 311
shellys@orl.herzing.edu

AHIMA's Coding Basic Program
233 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 2150
Chicago, IL 60601
James Bannen, MBA, MA
(312) 233-1158
james.bannen@ahima.org
www.ahima.org

For Master's Level Programs in Health Information, see www.AHIMA.org under "Schools/Programs" for Accredited Programs.

For all AHIMA Accredited Programs for all levels, please go to www.ahima.org under "Schools/Programs."

Student Tool Kit

Download Student Tool Kit