1
XSM1- Task 2: Reflection and Professional
BSHIM, Western Governors University
D260: Health Information Management Capstone
, 2
XSM1- Task 2: Reflection and Professional
A1. Experience in the BSHIM Program
The past seven months have gone by so fast, and I can’t believe I’m nearing the end of
the BSHIM program. I obtained my associate degree in HIM back in 2015 and a month later
passed the RHIT exam. I always knew I wanted to obtain my bachelor's degree and eventually
my master's degree but did not know where to start. In the fall of 2016, I started my first job in
the HIM field as an ROI Sr. Specialist. After two and half years, I was blessed with the
opportunity to get my first HIM manager position for a different health system. Life got in the
way, and I slowly kept pushing the idea of returning to school.
Last year, I saw a previous co-worker post her acceptance email from the BSHIM WGU
program and it got me thinking. What was the program about? How expensive would it be? What
do the courses look like? I did not have any idea what to expect. As I did more research, I got
more excited about potentially being able to get my degree. Obtaining my bachelor’s and
master’s would open so many more opportunities for me to move up within the organization I
work at.
My perceptions of HIM before I obtained my associate’s included solely dealing with
medical records, all paper, same routine day in and day out, and that the profession was only
needed in hospitals. As I worked through my associate’s degree, I learned that my perceptions
were not the case. Many facilities were implementing EHRs, HIM also processed birth
certificates, there is something different going on every day, and you can work in so many more
environments than just hospitals. Working through the BSHIM program, I learned even more
about how our profession plays a role in quality improvement implementations and facility’s
obtaining accreditations. Leadership in HIM is more than what I thought it would be. HIM
, 3
leaders are innovative and help move our field into the future. It’s been interesting to learn
through my education and work experience how the HIM field provides support in the
background that healthcare facilities need to provide quality care.
I felt that the program was well-rounded. I was accepted into the program with 87
transfer credits. From the time I first spoke to someone from WGU to my mentor walking me
through the last of my courses, I felt like everyone had my best interest in mind. How do I think
my personal experience could have been improved? To be honest, I had a great experience. I
would not change anything personally or academically. I loved the flexibility I had to take as
many courses as I could master throughout the six months. I was afraid I was overconfident at
the beginning of the program, but I quickly learned that I understood more than I thought I did. I
had instructors that provided great tip sheets and videos that helped me get through tasks that I
found more challenging. I was able to find an online community of WGU students that cheered
each other and provided tips. If I could improve anything, it would be the use of the course
chatter. If more students used that avenue to assist each other, it could aid those students that
were struggling. I thought it would be more active than it was. Other than that, I would not
change anything from my experience. I was happy with my transfer evaluation, mentors,
professors, and the financial department. I was also blessed to receive a WGU scholarship.
I have always had an interest in the compliance aspect of HIM. I have had the pleasure to
work closely with the compliance department in all the facilities I have worked at. Auditing
charts for accuracy, helping obtain accreditations, and ensuring HIPAA compliance, all have
interested me. HIPAA rules require organizations to have a privacy officer or security officer and
often these happen to be HIM professionals (Snell, 2016). I’ve seen organizations include HIM
professionals in the compliance team, or in the case of small facilities, the HIM professional is
XSM1- Task 2: Reflection and Professional
BSHIM, Western Governors University
D260: Health Information Management Capstone
, 2
XSM1- Task 2: Reflection and Professional
A1. Experience in the BSHIM Program
The past seven months have gone by so fast, and I can’t believe I’m nearing the end of
the BSHIM program. I obtained my associate degree in HIM back in 2015 and a month later
passed the RHIT exam. I always knew I wanted to obtain my bachelor's degree and eventually
my master's degree but did not know where to start. In the fall of 2016, I started my first job in
the HIM field as an ROI Sr. Specialist. After two and half years, I was blessed with the
opportunity to get my first HIM manager position for a different health system. Life got in the
way, and I slowly kept pushing the idea of returning to school.
Last year, I saw a previous co-worker post her acceptance email from the BSHIM WGU
program and it got me thinking. What was the program about? How expensive would it be? What
do the courses look like? I did not have any idea what to expect. As I did more research, I got
more excited about potentially being able to get my degree. Obtaining my bachelor’s and
master’s would open so many more opportunities for me to move up within the organization I
work at.
My perceptions of HIM before I obtained my associate’s included solely dealing with
medical records, all paper, same routine day in and day out, and that the profession was only
needed in hospitals. As I worked through my associate’s degree, I learned that my perceptions
were not the case. Many facilities were implementing EHRs, HIM also processed birth
certificates, there is something different going on every day, and you can work in so many more
environments than just hospitals. Working through the BSHIM program, I learned even more
about how our profession plays a role in quality improvement implementations and facility’s
obtaining accreditations. Leadership in HIM is more than what I thought it would be. HIM
, 3
leaders are innovative and help move our field into the future. It’s been interesting to learn
through my education and work experience how the HIM field provides support in the
background that healthcare facilities need to provide quality care.
I felt that the program was well-rounded. I was accepted into the program with 87
transfer credits. From the time I first spoke to someone from WGU to my mentor walking me
through the last of my courses, I felt like everyone had my best interest in mind. How do I think
my personal experience could have been improved? To be honest, I had a great experience. I
would not change anything personally or academically. I loved the flexibility I had to take as
many courses as I could master throughout the six months. I was afraid I was overconfident at
the beginning of the program, but I quickly learned that I understood more than I thought I did. I
had instructors that provided great tip sheets and videos that helped me get through tasks that I
found more challenging. I was able to find an online community of WGU students that cheered
each other and provided tips. If I could improve anything, it would be the use of the course
chatter. If more students used that avenue to assist each other, it could aid those students that
were struggling. I thought it would be more active than it was. Other than that, I would not
change anything from my experience. I was happy with my transfer evaluation, mentors,
professors, and the financial department. I was also blessed to receive a WGU scholarship.
I have always had an interest in the compliance aspect of HIM. I have had the pleasure to
work closely with the compliance department in all the facilities I have worked at. Auditing
charts for accuracy, helping obtain accreditations, and ensuring HIPAA compliance, all have
interested me. HIPAA rules require organizations to have a privacy officer or security officer and
often these happen to be HIM professionals (Snell, 2016). I’ve seen organizations include HIM
professionals in the compliance team, or in the case of small facilities, the HIM professional is
