National Online College Responds to Critical Shortage of Health Information Management Professionals

March 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Centre for Distance Education (CD-ED), an accredited national Online distance learning college, has created a Health Information Management diploma program to help meet projected labour demand within the Health Info sector.

The program, recognized by the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) will prepare students to successfully challenge the CHIMA National Certification Exam and enter the healthcare industry as certified HIM professionals.

In 2009, CHIMA partnered with COACH, Infoway, ICTC, CIHI, and ITAC Health (vendors) to investigate metrics on the supply of professionals in the Health Information (HI) and Health Information Management (HIM) occupations with forecasts for future industry demand.

Significant Findings of the Sector Study:

- There is a serious risk that labour and skill shortages will constrain the successful implementation of Electronic Health Information System (EHIS) technologies in Canada

- An additional 6,320 to 12,330 HI and HIM professionals are needed by 2014, primarily due to the growing investment and adoption of EHIS

- Current vacancy rates of over 10% exist for six of the 27 occupational groups studied

The Centre for Distance Education’s HIM program answers the call of industry need by providing convenient Online training for interested individuals throughout Canada and internationally. Distance learning lets students in any geographic region pursue professional career training, without having to relocate. Online training allows adult learners, individuals with strong work ethics and high levels of motivation who would be an asset to the HI/HIM industry, the opportunity to achieve training and certification in a way that is flexible and economical.

This challenging program is delivered via structured, web-based courses as well as practical experience in a health setting. Despite training remotely, students participate in and benefit from practical, hands-on experience in a real HIM employment setting before graduation.

The CD-ED Health Information Management program incorporates elements of medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one curriculum. Graduates of this program are prepared to deal with the myriad data and information from multiple sources within the health system, analyze statistics, manage complex information systems including registries and work with public, private and key stakeholders in understanding and using health data to improve the health of Canadians while respecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of the individual.

Contact Info
Lori MacMullin, President
Center for Distance Education
902 564-1680
lorimacmullin@cd-ed.com

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Centre for Distance Education (CD-ED) is an accredited career college providing Online distance training for career-minded individuals in a variety of fields including healthcare, IT, Business & Accounting, 3D Animation, Graphic Design, Web Design.