Bachelor of Science Health Information
Management
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Profession
HIM Program
Admission Requirements
The Health Information Manager is a member
of the health care team and is the professional
responsible for management of health information
systems consistent with medical, administrative,
ethical and legal requirements. Health
information professionals collect, analyze and
utilize data to provide information critical
to the health care industry. A Registered
Record Administrator (RHIA) collects many kinds
of data from a variety of sources, monitors
the integrity of the information, ensures appropriate
access to health records and manages the analysis
and use of this data.
Traditionally, Health Information professionals
have been employed as department managers in
hospital centers. In this positions, the
major areas of responsibility include: determining
health information policies; planning; budgeting;
acting as a liaison with other departments;
evaluating employee performance; educating departmental
staff, medical staff and ancillary departments
to assure quality information; and serving on
important committees such as quality management
and utilization review.
Career opportunities in health information
now extend well beyond the health information
department and the acute care facility.
Professionals with technical expertise, problem
solving skills, knowledge of clinical medicine
and superior communication skills are needed
to ensure quality health care documentation,
protecting patient confidentiality and develop
and maintain the electronic health record.
The need for accurate and up-to-date health
records is not confined to health care facilities.
RHIAs are employed by managed care organizations,
insurance companies, law firms, physician offices,
consulting firms, software companies and the
pharmaceutical industry.
General Education Requirements for the HIM
program include 59-70 credits of courses in the
Humanities, Social Sciences, Science & Mathematics,
Health, Concentration Courses and free electives
to be completed at an affiliate institution..
Major course requirements include 61 credits
in Health Information Management courses to
be completed at UMDNJ. No more than one
half of the major courses may be transferred
into the HIM Program. Students must maintain
an overall GPA of 2.75 and a major course GPA
of 2.75 to remain in the program.
The HIM program is a joint degree program between the University of Medicine
and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and either
Kean University, Thomas Edison State College or Georgian Court University. Entering freshman may select either Kean University or Georgian Court as their affiliate and will apply to that institution to complete two
years of pre-professional course work. Transfer students may apply to any of the three affiliates for completion of their general education requirement. The undergraduate must have
completed the core and breadth courses prior to continuing at UMDNJ. The
professional component includes didactic, laboratory
and clinical experiences.
Health Information Management courses at UMDNJ
are taught primarily in the evening from 5:00-9:00
p.m. with few exceptions. Professional
practice experiences (PPE) are required for
graduation and must be scheduled during the
daytime hours to allow adequate supervision
at the clinical site. The first two PPEs
are presently held one day per week on Thursdays
in the same semester for a combined length of
15 weeks. The student is required to be
available for the full 8 hours on each of these
clinical days. Management Affiliation
is a 5 week clinical experience where the senior
student is placed in a clinical site for the
first 4 weeks on a full time, 40 hour/week basis.
The fifth week is scheduled on campus.
Students are required to make the necessary
arrangements at their places of employment and
other commitments to be available for all clinical
experiences as attendance is mandatory.
Transportation to clinical sites is the responsibility
of the student. In addition, all UMDNJ-SHRP health requirements and immunizations must be completed prior to the first professional practice experience.
An increasing number of sites are also requesting
drug screens and/or repeat criminal background checks.
The courses in the professional years are taught
in sequence. Failure to complete course
work in the proper sequence or earning less
than a C will probably delay graduation.
To continue in the professional curriculum a
student must earn a grade of C or above in each
course and maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 (on
a 4.0 scale) as well as a GPA of 2.75 in major
courses. No HIM professional course may
be repeated more than once.
Entering freshman must apply for admission
through the affiliate's Department of Admissions.
Transfer students must complete a minimum of
32 credits at Kean and 36 credits at Georgian Court to receive the joint degree. Transferring students may also select Thomas Edison State College (TESC), which requires a minimum of 12 credits. With the exception of admissions to UMDNJ/TESC transfer students apply to the affiliate insitution separately to complete all general education requirements. For those selecting TESC as the affiliate, the entire application process is completed at UMDNJ-SHRP.
Prior to the start of the professional phase
of the program at UMDNJ, students are required
to submit a formal application to the UMDNJ-SHRP
Enrollment Services. The application
form and official
transcripts for student admission to the program
should be submitted by May 1st immediately
preceding the intended Fall semester enrollment. Full time students are only accepted for admission in the Fall semester. Part time students and those transferring from Health Information Technology programs may be considered for admission to the Spring semester. Late admission to the program is at the discretion
of the Program Director up until to start of
classes. Students who are late admittances
are required to submit all admissions documents
prior to admission and to pay full tuition for
the term of enrollment.
In addition to the general college admission
requirements at UMDNJ, the Health Information
Management Program requires:
- Completion of all pre-professional requirements
with a grade of C or above.
- Completion of 56 semester
hours for submission of application.
- An overall minimum grade point average
of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is required to apply.
- Official transcripts of all previous college
courses as well as an updated transcript from
the affiliate institution. Students who have attended
a foreign college or university are required
to submit an official English Translation
of the academic credits from the World Education Service as well as an official transcript from their college.
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