City College’s first Bachelor’s program has been granted provisional approval by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management (HIM) is intended to prepare students for leadership positions in the healthcare field, meeting the industry’s need for skilled professionals.

California community colleges cannot offer bachelor’s programs that are already available at Cal State or UC campuses. However, City College successfully secured provisional approval since none of these institutions currently offer the Health Information Management (HIM) program. With this provisional status, City College can now advance towards fully implementing the HIM bachelor program on campus, according to Alan Price, dean of health and technology services.

“There is more work ahead of us as far as the college, but you know, we’re ready to do the work,” Price said.“The college as a whole is very committed to this and we are now taking the next steps to go to the second level of approval.” 

The HIM program is a focused career path within the healthcare sector, this program aims to bridge the gap between the number of available jobs and the number of qualified graduates entering the field. There is a demand for graduates who have the skills and knowledge to work in health information management. 

Given the high demand for jobs in this field, the career opportunities these programs can provide are promising.

“From what the data is coming back on the labor market, you know [HIM is] a very lucrative career. We’re looking at median salaries of 60 dollars approximately an hour for folks,” Price said.

Price noted that with the industry evolving due to technological advancements and increasing focus on data management, graduates of these programs are well-positioned to secure fulfilling careers in this sector of healthcare.

“Professionals with a 4-year degree in Health Information Management (HIM) are in high demand due to their diverse expertise and the valuable skills they bring to healthcare settings,” Lynette M. Williamson HIT/CIM professor said. 

Health information managers have roles that include organizing and protecting confidential medical records. They design health information systems to ensure compliance with medical, legal, and ethical standards, and they manage data entry and maintenance in electronic medical records (EMR) systems. 

“While hospitals are common employers for HIM professionals, opportunities also exist with healthcare IT vendors, such as Electronic Health Record companies, consulting firms, and in non-acute care settings like outpatient and urgent care centers,” Williamson said.“There are increasing global career opportunities for HIM professionals.”

In response to the growing need for health informatics in the workforce, City College is actively advancing its bachelor’s program to increase the number of qualified professionals entering the field.

The HIM program is designed as a 2 plus 2 program. Tailored towards students who began in City College’s existing Associate of Science in Health Information Technology (HIT) program. The HIT program is fully online and focuses on healthcare technology roles. 

“It’s designed for students who began in HIT… [these programs] will allow those students to continue on for an additional two years hence, 2 plus 2, to earn a bachelor’s degree in health information management,” Price said.  

Students interested in attending in-person classes can take general education courses on campus; however, the core courses of the HIM program will be offered entirely online.

This is the first Bachelor’s degree program to be offered at City College, there are approximately 30 to 45 offered statewide.

“I’m also very happy that as a community college system, we are now starting to build out more bachelor opportunities for our students, because, again, it benefits them, as well as our workforce partners,” said Price. 

Students interested in the program are advised to regularly check the HIT website for the most up-to-date information. Once official approval is granted, there will be opportunities for interested students to meet with faculty to discuss how to enroll in the program.