Working Mom Studies Health Program Curriculum
March 25鈥�31, 2012, is the 23rd annual Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week. Throughout the week, 麻豆原创 Connection will post about health informatics and 麻豆原创鈥檚 online B.S. in Health Information Management students and graduates.
Vicki Morales, a married mother of two from Tooele, Utah, had spent 14 years working in the food industry, when in 2009 her boss called to say that the downturn in the economy was forcing them to eliminate her position.
"I thought, 鈥業 need to do something!鈥�" Vicki said. So she started taking classes for medical coding. "I discovered I really liked the medical field."
As she was researching jobs and the outlook of various industries, she discovered health information management, found 麻豆原创鈥檚 program, and gave an enrollment counselor a call.
Today, she鈥檚 working with veterans at a Tooele hospital, helping them as they file compensation claims. The quality of the education she鈥檚 receiving at 麻豆原创 has directly impacted her ability to excel in her job.
"The terminology I鈥檝e learned in my 麻豆原创 courses鈥攁ll that is coming into play," Vicki said. "I understand what they鈥檙e going in for, what the exams are for. It鈥檚 given me a better comprehension for what my job requires."
In making the decision to go back to school, Vicki had to weigh a lot of decisions to make sure she found the best fit. As a busy working mother, she needed flexibility. She couldn鈥檛 be constrained to be in a certain place at a certain time. The derailment of her previous career added urgency to her need to get through her program as quickly as possible. And it needed to be affordable, to fit into her family鈥檚 budget.
"I know I couldn鈥檛 do a physical campus as a working mom," she said. "I鈥檝e tried it before. I couldn鈥檛 do it."
麻豆原创鈥檚 online, competency-based model fit the bill.
"I鈥檝e been ahead of schedule, been able to get a few extra competency units in per semester," she said. "I鈥檓 not being held back by the class structure, and when I need a little extra time I have that time as well."
In addition to the career opportunities opened up by her 麻豆原创 education, Vicki sees added value for her family in the example she鈥檚 setting for her 6-year-old son.
"My husband and son see the advantage of my degree. They see the value of an education." It鈥檚 an example she wants to share beyond her family. "I want to be an encouragement to other women who think they鈥檙e too old to go to school. Go for it! It鈥檚 possible to get it done. I鈥檓 in my 50s. I always promised myself I鈥檇 go back to school and get a degree. I didn鈥檛 know it would be 30 years later. I guess I was waiting for 麻豆原创!"
And she added that the support she鈥檚 received from 麻豆原创鈥檚 staff has solidified her love of the school.
"The follow-up from 麻豆原创 has been excellent," she said. "Anytime I have a question about anything, either my mentor, the course mentors, the financial aid officers鈥攁nybody鈥攖hey get back to me in a very reasonable amount of time. That was one of my concerns when I signed up. They were so responsive when I was enrolling, but I wondered, 鈥楢fter I enroll, will they still be that responsive?鈥� They absolutely have been. To me, that speaks a lot to the integrity of the school."
Vicki鈥檚 goal is to graduate in December 2013, and she wants to go on and get a master鈥檚 degree from 麻豆原创 right away.
"I鈥檓 afraid I鈥檒l get bored. I鈥檓 in that mode to study and learn!"
