Hello Members,
With more than half the Australian population experiencing lockdown in the past month it is important to maintain our physical and mental health, as well as looking for the unexpected positives. For instance, using the permitted exercise time I have walked and explored different paths within my neighbourhood. The kids and I recently stumbled across a delightful electronic projection of a possum within the trees, presumably put up by the local university students. Our normal routine would likely render us oblivious to this art, which brought us joy. Always try to find the small positives.
I was delighted when Dr Kerin Robinson, Chair of HIMAA’s Education Committee, informed me that La Trobe University has given approval for a single three-year HIM undergraduate degree that can be completed face-to-face or online. As you may be aware, La Trobe is one of the few universities that teaches a HIMAA-accredited HIM degree. It is vital that we have accredited HIM degrees to produce sought-after HIMs for our profession to exist and flourish. The three-year program I suspect will be attractive to a large cohort of students; the option of online delivery is significant given that Curtin University ceased their online HIM program several years ago, denying many students across Australia the opportunity to seek a career in health information management.
One of HIMAA’s future goals is to encourage more HIM programs to be delivered by accredited universities. The more HIMs working in the Australian healthcare system the better.
When COVID-19 hit early last year HIMAA had to pivot quickly to deliver more online content, such as webinars, to offer our members professional development. The Board and I are delighted to see that our calls for more engaging and responsive content are being delivered in response to members’ feedback. This was kicked off last Friday with Operational CDI. Well done to Jae and her team in the National office in delivering. The Board will continue to provide support and resources to members to expand our professional development offerings in the coming year and beyond.
In the meantime, stay safe and healthy.
Onwards and upwards!
Cheens Lee
President
Email: cheensl@himaa.org.au