1. What is the length of time it takes to complete the PBCert HIM program at UIC and how does it prepare the student upon graduation?
A student can complete the program in as few as two years. The 13-course program prepares students to sit for the RHIA exam upon graduation.
2. What does the health information industry look like today?
With changes in the coding systems, moving from ICD9 to the ICD10, the industry is becoming more focused on data and technology.
3. What does a successful online student in the HIM program look like?
A successful online student is someone who is organized and has good time management skills.
4. What are the program requirements?
A completed bachelor’s degree (or higher) with a minimum 2.75 GPA in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework. The bachelor’s degree can be in any discipline, but healthcare, IT and business tend to be better fits.
5. Can I take the RHIA exam without this program (for example, if I take just a master’s program?)
No, unless the master’s program also requires completion of the certificate classes (this is in addition, not instead). Even if you take a master’s program, you must also complete the RHIA coursework. The RHIA credential is an academic-based certification, and reflects that the individual is a graduate of a CAHIIM-accredited health information management (HIM) program. It requires an academic foundation prior to taking the credential exam.
6. Is this program 100 percent online?
Yes. There is a practicum toward the end of the program that is completed at a facility in your area, but all the coursework is online. Both programs have an initial class which requires an “observational visit/interview” which will require the student to go to an approved HIM department for a half-day (4 hours) to complete this assignment. For PBC HIM, it is in HIM 451 and in BS HIM it is HIM 317.
7. Do I have to be an RHIT to qualify for HIM programs?
No, as long as you meet the other requirements. However, if you are an RHIT, you will require fewer credit hours to graduate in the BS HIM program (63 for non-RHITs; 39 for RHITs; 32 for an RHIT who is also a CPC, CCS, CCS-P).
8. Why can’t I just go study on my own for the RHIA?
AHIMA will only allow someone to sit for the RHIA if they have completed a bachelor’s degree in HIM or a post-baccalaureate program in HIM. No matter how many degrees or how much experience someone has, he or she cannot self-study.
9. Why does it take 2 years to be eligible? If so, why is it a graduate program and why does it take so long?
This is the approved alternative to completing another 4-year degree, which means this is actually the shorter option. It is a graduate program because it is post-baccalaureate (after bachelor’s). Also, because it is a graduate program, you can use graduate student loans to fund the program. If you have an extensive background in related topics, you may be eligible to test out of a few classes and bring the program length down to about a year and a half.
94% of students who responded to a survey are satisfied with their academic experience in the program.
100% of employers who responded to a survey are satisfied with job performance of our graduates.
88% of graduates were employed in their field of choice within the first year of graduation.
