This is the first in a series of short articles about students studying HIM at the Queensland University of Technology and La Trobe University. Students were asked a series of questions about their studies and what drew them to the HIM degrees. This article is from Katelyn Carr, third year Bachelor of Health Information Management student at the Queensland University of Technology.
What are your background and interests and how did these lead to your enrolment in the in Bachelor of HIM?
A health career showcase at Redcliffe Hospital during Year 10 gave me the opportunity to see Medical Records, which stayed within me, though was unaware a specific university pathway existed. I was planning on a business degree in accounting but still feeling pull of health, especially during early months of COVID. I reviewed various health related degrees and found the Bachelor of HIM and immediately read everything I could about it. Realising HIM would pull together my key strengths and remembering Medical Records at Redcliffe, I knew I had found my niche. So I live chatted every question I could think of during QUT’s virtual open day in 2020, then set about convincing myself and everyone around me that pivoting from business to a degree they had never heard of was the right call for me. It was, I’ve never looked back.
What are you enjoying most about the degree?
I am enjoying learning how many systems come together to create the health system and the individual complexities within. An organisation and number loving person, I am particularly interested in units to do with funding (PUB3204 Resourcing and Managing Health Budgets and PUB380 Casemix and Activity Based Funding), especially when considering solutions to improve patient care through efficiency along with the satisfaction of finding (the correct) codes and learning background medical and health information.
Are you a student member of the HIMAA? How has participation benefited you?
I have been a student member of HIMAA since I began my degree, leading to my participation in the 2022 Qld branch’s mentor program and attendance at several HIMAA events. Attending events has allowed me to meet many different HIMs, hear different experiences and begin networking. My mentor had a wealth of information, truly showed me how far a HIM degree can take you and how I might get there.
Have you had any HIM-related experience during your studies?
I work casually in Health Information Services at Caboolture Hospital, mostly finding, tracking and moving paper records. This has provided an intensive ‘on the ground’ look at how a hospital functions and health information is utilised, along with engendering a great respect for paper records, love of terminal digit filing and at times real excitement for the upcoming integrated electronic Medical Record (ieMR) introduction. I am endeavouring to learn as much as possible while witnessing the coming changes, expansion and small-scale scanning to ieMR during 2023.
Where do you see your HIM career taking you in the future?
As I mentioned, my interests are around funding, organisation and efficiency so I am looking to moving towards roles that will let me work in those areas. I am definitely heading towards a ‘traditional’ hospital HIM path though and will see where life and HIM takes me.