Healthcare Information Management (HIM) Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) and Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Associates of Applied Science (AAS)

With the entire school series on my blog, I wanted to take the time to discuss the Healthcare Information Management (HIM) Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) and Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Associates of Applied Science (AAS) degree. It is crazy to think that I initially had plans to only obtain my business degree, not realizing that HIM would be exactly what I needed. All of the cards have laid down in my favor on this journey; when I say that God has been involved in this process, I mean exactly that

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You may be reading this and wondering what is an Applied Science degree and how is it different from a regular degree? Applied Science degrees have a professional focus. For example a Business Bachelors is a business degree that you can use in any field of your choice. An Applied Science Bachelor’s is primarily used in that particular profession and the classes are focused on work that you would actually be doing without wasting time taking classes that you may never use in life ever again.

Initially, I entered school with the intention of obtaining a Business Administration degree. During the time I was obtaining my AA degree, I took all of the core required classes and chose my additional classes based on my field of work. For example, there were classes that I had no choice in, such as Accounting, Economics, etc. Then there were classes where I had to stay within a field of study but I could choose the class I wanted to take, such as Human Biology. In other instances, I had choices but ended up being forced into a different direction than the one I had planned such as taking Statistics, I wanted to take Business Statistics which is the preferred class for a business degree; however, you can take regular Statistics (Intro to Statistics) instead. Well, the Business Statistics class was never available at a reasonable time so I was forced to take regular Statistics during the summer. All of these decisions worked out in my favor. Every class I took as part of my business AA degree, are also required to be taken to complete the HIM BAS degree, including regular Statistics; had I been able to take the Business Statistics class, I would have had to go back and take the regular Statistics class.

I definitely feel as though this path was laid out for me. For me, receiving my AA in Business Administration before going into the HIM program, was a better decision than receiving an AS in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT). I also need to remind you that I have an extensive background in healthcare and I have previous college courses in healthcare; that is how I was able to get into the HIM program without first going through the HIT program. In order to complete your HIM Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) degree you need a total of 90 credits (in addition to 90 AA credits for a total of 180 credits). The way the program is set up, it combines the core HIM classes with the additional classes you are required to take such as Communications, Math, Biology, etc. Because I had already taken those classes, I had to use my previous college credits from 1994-98 to fill in the gaps to get me up to 90 credits. 

Once I move towards my Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, it will be like a combination of both my Healthcare Information Management and Business Administration degrees. When I am done with that degree, I will have a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Administration. There will be a nine-month span between finishing my BAS and starting my MBA program; during that time I will be studying for my Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification and I plan on testing for it the summer before starting my Master’s program. So when all is said and done my name will have MBA, RHIA behind it.

If you are interested in obtaining a degree in HIM, it is important to understand where you want to go with the degree. If you do not have an extensive background in healthcare, I strongly suggest starting with the HIT AAS program, they have upgraded it to the point where everything you will need is now part of the program. Prerequisites for the HIT program are Biology 175, English 101, Math 146 or 136, and HIT 105. Even though they are labelled as prereqs, these classes do go towards your degree program and for a lot of other programs they are required classes that go towards your degree.

After completion of the HIT AAS program you can apply for the HIM BAS program. For this program you will need to take Communications, a natural Science, and an additional Humanities course. The other listed prereqs are included in either the HIT or HIM programs. Also, beginning fall of 2019, all new HIM students will be required to take HIM 301 as part of their curriculum which was not required before. After receiving feedback from current students the faculty has decided to make it part of the curriculum. HIM 301 is almost like an overview of the HIM program to prepare students for the next two years.  

The HIM/HIT program is completely online; however, some of the classes you will take in addition to the program related classes may require you to take the classes at the school. If you research, you may be able to ensure that all of the classes are online, this may mean adjusting some of your desired classes and replacing them with something else.

Some of this information may not apply to all HIM programs, this is what applies to the program I am currently in. Regardless of what route you choose to take, make sure it is one that will cause you less strife in the long run.

And…It Is What It Is!