What a Difference a Year Makes
Around this time last year, I was schlepping clothes, photos and a hodgepodge of kitchenware from my college house to my mom's place, an hour away. I was in that weird place between incredible relief that classes were over and immense grief as I said goodbye to faculty and friends. Graduation was over and, quite frankly, I couldn't wait to sit on my duff and read anything that didn't involve my senior thesis. That being said, it was tough to leave.
But, ah, the memories of sleepless nights, stressful presentations and hours logged on the library's fourth floor came rushing back when I stepped foot on Gwynedd-Mercy College's (GMC) campus. In between filming interviews for the ADVANCE video, I chatted with the ladies about final exams and career aspirations. Thanks to a good education in a field that's in demand, many graduates already have jobs lined up. I secretly envied Lauren Houseal, who was spared the "Oh crap, I graduated and don't have a job!" anxiety I suffered for 3 months when I should have been enjoying my summer.
What's more, the two students you'll see in the video (spoiler alert!) feel more than prepared to wrangle with EHRs. We'll need their knowledge and skills to not only lead the industry toward HIT, but also help patients understand it. If I'm any indication, public awareness of EHRs goes something like: "Electronic records? Cool!" to "You mean they're not digital everywhere?" to "OK, EHRs would be great, but my doc's gotta use them the right way."
The public can be taught. Heck, I still can't believe how much I've learned over the past year. But don't get me wrong; I know there's a whole lot more I don't know about EHRs-stuff GMC students probably learned in database management 101. I can chat with my nursing friends about the agony of disparate systems, but I'm not there on the frontline of care. So I'm counting on the HIM work force to keep everyone-physicians, patients, vendors, etc.-up on what needs to be done so this dive into digital isn't a flop.
The year ahead will undoubtedly be a big one for these grads. Whether their employer is fully electronic, hybrid or paper-based, let's hope they strut their skills and help move health care toward that "high quality, low-cost" system I've been hearing about since I first learned the acronym "HIM."