BS in HIM: UIC Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor emphasizes the importance of real-world practice

Meet Felecia Williams, MPA, RHIA, Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Director of the online Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Currently a doctoral student, Williams has a BS in Health Information Management from UIC and an MPA from Roosevelt University. Her previous work included management positions with national healthcare consulting firms, working with hospitals and employer groups to streamline and automate processes, perform cost-saving analysis, and evaluate business strategies.

While serving in the navy, Williams first delved into the field of health information management during a rotation in a hospital’s medical records department. Ever since, she has remained dedicated to the healthcare sector. Her passion is serving others, particularly witnessing the growth of her students. Committed to enhancing the learning experience of BS in Health Information Management (BSHIM) students, she’s committed to her role as Program Director imparting fundamental knowledge from the core curriculum but also instilling additional expertise in data analytics, consumer education, and practical real-world application.

Learn more about William’s background and what skills students can look forward to developing in UIC’s online BS HIM program.

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become interested in Health Information Management (HIM)?

While I was in the Navy, one of my rotations was in a hospital working in the medical records department. At that time, I did not know health information management was a field. When I returned home, I enrolled at UIC to pursue my BS in psychology and started working at an AIDS and HIV clinic. My clinic manager at the time had her name plate on her desk and at the end of her name was the credentials RRA, or registered record administrator. She explained to me what she did and told me about the BS in HIM program at UIC. I realized I was two classes away from meeting course pre-requisite requirements and ended up switching to the HIM program.

I am currently the Program Director for the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. As a graduate of the program, I am what we call a full circle HIMer. I don’t have any experience outside of healthcare. Healthcare is my passion. I have previously worked in hospital settings, in insurance, and for various healthcare vendors doing all types of HIM-related things. I’ve been back with the university full-time for the last 11 years and taught my first course in 2001.

Why did you decide to return to work full-time at the University of Illinois Chicago?

I think we have the best Health Information Management (HIM) program. The close-knit community fostered by the HIM faculty creates a family-like environment. Although HIM is a relatively small field, it is far-reaching. We’re part of a large four-year university sitting in the middle of a major metropolis. It was a privilege to come back to share my knowledge and interest in the field. I really enjoy watching and helping the students grow.

What keeps you excited about the field of Health Information Management?

The field of HIM is always growing. There are now areas in healthcare which were dominated by nursing and IT, that HIM professionals now work. It’s been great to see these doors open for us in our field. HIM goes beyond records, but it includes the impact billing errors can have on patients and the importance of safeguarding patient data. I really enjoy teaching my students about these new, real-life skills and experiences guiding them through the various healthcare domains that health information management currently encompasses.

What are the valuable HIM skills and knowledge students can look forward to learning or developing in your courses?

I am a big proponent of consumer education. It’s not built in as a component of the program, but it’s something I like to educate our students on. I teach them that it’s not good practice to just give people a bunch of information and never educate them on how to use that information. For instance, although we’re pushing for patients to sign up for a patient portal, we need to teach our patients how to use the patient portal. Students will learn how to approach patients and explain the benefits of communicating with their providers over the portal.

Since these are undergraduate students, we also teach them how to conduct research at a very high level. Our aim is to enable them to proficiently navigate the project lifecycle from beginning to end. We teach these research skills in the course, HIM 374: Health Information Research. We’re also teaching students data analytics in the course, HIM 337: Analysis of Health Care Data. We want to teach them to not just run the data but learn how to interpret the data.

Are there any projects or real-world applications in the HIM program that students can look forward to?

The most important real-world application students will experience in the program are their internships, or their PPE (professional practice experience). Students are on-site with professionals walking through scenarios that involve real-life problems that we can’t recreate in the classroom. We send students to hospitals and clinics. We’ve even sent them to insurance companies and healthcare vendors. Students go to these sites using the skills they’ve gained from the program and apply them to build databases, write policies, create procedures, and more.

What is the most important thing you learned about having a successful career in Health Information Management that you would like to pass on to prospective students?

The most important thing I would say is to trust your education. Trust your instructors, because they have prepared you to the best of their ability to be able to walk into any interview and have the knowledge and skills to succeed.