Interested in finding a new job? How about updating your photo on LinkedIn? Or maybe you want to learn more from experts on ways to advance your career?
AHIMA25 has all of that and more for health information (HI) professionals who attend the conference in person or virtually in Minneapolis in October. The conference is the largest HI event in the nation, where HI professionals gather to network with leaders from top healthcare organizations and make connections to help you build your career.
AHIMA25 will feature more than 40 curated educational sessions, topic-driven workshops, and the opportunity to earn 20+ CEUs and even more via on-demand sessions after the event. Registration is available now!
To help HI professionals with their career, AHIMA25 will feature various activities and sessions including:
- A Career advancement educational track to help you build leadership skills and explore new opportunities in health information.
- A Career Center in the Exhibit Hall where you can polish your resume, practice your pitch, and get a new headshot at the center. Be sure to schedule a time to meet with AHIMA leaders and HI experts who will provide resume reviews, mock interviews, LinkedIn profile assessments, and offer guidance on career pathways to support your professional journey and advance your career.
- A Conversation with AHIMA Fellows Roundtable Discussion: This engaging roundtable session with AHIMA Fellows is designed specifically for emerging professionals and students who are eager to learn, ask questions, and gain real-world insights from those who have built successful, meaningful careers in HI. You’ll hear their personal stories about the twists, turns, and triumphs of their professional journeys, and have the chance to ask candid questions in a welcoming, interactive environment.
“If you’re looking to grow your career in health information, AHIMA25 is absolutely the place to be,” says Jennifer Mueller, MBA, RHIA, SHIMSS, FACHE, FAHIMA, FACHDM, AHIMA Senior Vice President, Health Information Career Advancement. “Our career sessions are packed with information and connection opportunities to help you build your leadership skills, boost your confidence, and tell your professional story in a way that gets noticed.”
“You’ll walk away with practical strategies to grow, whether you’re new to the field or ready for your next big step,” Mueller says.
Learning How to Advance Your Career to the Next Level
The career advancement track will be filled with opportunities to help attendees take their next professional step, including sessions on leadership, networking, and practical tips to stand out in a competitive market. Sessions in the track include one titled “Rising Leaders: Exploring Career Advancement for Health Information Professionals,” presented by Mazette Edwards, MA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, and Chanice Husbands, MBS, CCS, who both work at Northwell Health System. The session will explore career growth opportunities by highlighting real-life success stories from Northwell Health’s revenue cycle team.
Edwards started as an emergency department registrar out of school, worked coding jobs, moved to management, and is now Assistant Vice President, Revenue Cycle, at Northwell Health. She studied books on health information, went back to college and received a bachelor’s degree in health information management (HIM), earned industry certifications, and continued to gain knowledge.
“I’m a career learner and always want to learn,” says Edwards, who manages a team of more than 200 people.
In their session, Edwards and Husbands will emphasize the vital role of HIM professionals in revenue cycle management, patient experience, and overall organizational success, as well as explore ways to advance careers through education, mentorship, certifications, and professional development.
At Northwell Health, Edwards says employees are encouraged to share their career goals with leadership and pursue various job pathways.
“We also tell them to be certified, go back to school, get your degree, and become a HIM professional,” she says. “You have to give them the opportunity and it's up to the individual to take it if they want to.”
Attendees to the session also will gain insight into diverse and dynamic career trajectories for HI professionals and understand the strategic importance of their work to an organization’s success.
“You’re going to see how we love what we’re doing and know that it doesn’t take you by yourself to reach where you’re going – you need a community,” Edwards says. “You need people who are going to invest in you.”
Careers in Emerging Technologies
One of the other career advancement sessions at AHIMA25 is titled “Enhancing Patient Engagement through Emerging Health Information Technologies: Advancing Careers for Health Information Professionals.” The session will explore how emerging HI technologies such as patient portals, telehealth, and mobile health apps are reshaping patient engagement strategies and improving patient outcomes in healthcare settings. Co-presenters will be Cathy Flite, PhD, FAHIMA, RHIA, an Associate Professor of Instruction in Health Services Administration and Policy at Temple University, and Shannon Houser, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA, a Professor in the Health Services Administration Department and the Graduate Program in Health Informatics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
“Traditionally, people in health information management would just go to work in the hospital setting. With the emerging technologies, our roles have changed,” Houser says.
HI professionals play a key role in integrating and optimizing these emerging technologies to improve patient outcomes and ensure regulatory compliance. Session attendees will learn about professional development opportunities in health informatics, data analytics, and digital health management, and how they can leverage these technologies to advance their careers while enhancing patient engagement.
“This is not just targeted to the current graduate,” Houser says. “If you have a job in HI, what are some new roles you can take?”
Emerging technologies create new career pathways and professional development opportunities. Attendees to the emerging technologies session will gain insights into how emerging technologies create new career pathways and professional development opportunities, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and skill development in health informatics and digital health management. Practical strategies and resources will be shared to help HI professionals stay ahead in the evolving healthcare technology landscape.
“There are organizations like AHIMA that are offering resources to help us learn,” Houser says. “Also, there are a lot of online learning platforms like LinkedIn that are free to learn and get updated about specific areas. And AHIMA25 is a great resource where we can go and learn.”
Houser says it is important for HI professionals to pursue continuous learning, credentials, and microcredentials to grow and succeed as an HI professional in a changing industry.
“I’m constantly pushing to learn new things,” she says. “There is so much to learn.”
Damon Adams is content production editor for AHIMA.