Why You Should Consider Attending an AHIMA Student Open House

By Ronda Fowler

Originally published in the San Juan College Health Information Technology Newsletter

I attended the AHIMA Fall 2024 Student Open House. The Open House is a virtual get-together that is hosted by some of the industry leaders of AHIMA. These individuals are very experienced, and they give students like us the tools to transition from our educational careers to a professional career in health information. I previously attended the Spring 2024 Open House.

The Open House is a relatively new feature that they offer to students, and they are willing to improve it with feedback from us. Just from attending the last two events, I have noticed improvements such as the transitions flowing more smoothly, the hosts and panelists coming prepared with advice and tools, and there was even a short activity that we got to participate in this time.

The reason that I attend these events is so that I can be armed with important knowledge that can help my transition from a HI student to a HI professional. I want to be able to jump into my career with both feet. Submerging myself by attending webinars, open houses, and conferences early on in my educational career, I am giving myself that opportunity—and I want to share that with my peers so that we may all be successful.

The team that made the Fall 2024 Open House event happen are Chrys Bell (Director, Membership) and Sandra Rockson (Emerging Professionals Advisory Council Chair). The panelists included Danielle Robinson, Phantasha O’Neal, Dr. Mona Calhoun (President/Chair), Jill Khokhar (Director of Certification), Dr. Jasmine Agnew (Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs and Professional Credentials), and Dana Perrino (Chief Member Services Officer).

AHIMA has eight certifications: Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based (CCS-P), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP), Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA), and Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS). The reason that an individual obtains a certification is because they represent a specific set of skills/competencies and may/may not be a legal requirement for employers in certain lines of work. Having a certificate may also be a requirement as part of acquiring a licensure, but this is not always the case. When we are trying to get hired, hiring organizations may prefer or require certifications as verification of skills, competencies, and knowledge. That is why, when we complete our degree or certificate, it really is vital that we sit for our credential so that we are presenting ourselves as desired hires to our employers.

AHIMA also has seven microcredentials. A microcredential’s sole purpose is to certify the learning outcomes of a specific experience. The microcredentials that are offered are Risk Adjustment Coding, Release of Information, Clinical Documentation Integrity Outpatient, Patient Identification & Matching, Auditing: Inpatient Coding, Auditing: Outpatient Coding, and Health Data Literacy. Something that I feel is worth mentioning and very awesome is that when we complete the courses HITP.120 and HITP.150, with some additional outside studying, we, as students, are able to sit for the Release of Information microcredential.

I want to include some of the really great questions and answers that were provided by participants and the hosts:

• Do you qualify to sit for the RHIT or the RHIA when you complete a certification for medical billing and coding?
• Answer: In order to sit for the RHIT or the RHIA you have to complete a degree listed in the CAHIIM directory on cahiim.org.
• Are there practice tests for microcredentials?
• Answer: Any prep that is available for the microcredentials will be in the same window with the microcredentials in AHIMA. If the microcredentials have practice tests available, they will be listed under their tab.
• Where can I find out about the internships?
• Answer: A great resource is your local component association on AHIMA.org. Being a part of this allows for networking. They have witnessed students that have had jobs reach out to them simply because they communicated on a local level.
• What are the benefits to being part of your state HIM (component association)?
• Answer: Your involvement and investment will pay off tenfold. How much you put into it is what you get out of it.

They offer professional development opportunities in education. Building your network is incredibly important through this. They are a wealth of information to mentor you, connect you with job opportunities, help you in volunteering and apprenticeships, and connect you to component association (CA) and mentor programs and the individual benefits that they offer to students and associates. There were a few other questions that the hosts went over, and it was a wealth of information about things that I did not know about before I attended.

Some of the topics that are discussed during the Open House are benefits of AHIMA memberships, discovering your HI community, the certifications and microcredentials that are offered and their significance, fantastic tips, and explanations regarding sitting for your credentials and information about staying current with your CEUs. The panelists and professionals answered questions live, and there was an amazing portion speaking about the four pillars of success. All of these professionals did such an excellent job that by the time that the last Q&A section started, I was feeling highly motivated and had some new questions that I shared to the board—which they answered live and gave such valuable information!

One of the best features is that the whole session is recorded, and when it is over, they send you an email with the video for on-demand watching!

My biggest takeaway from the Student Open House is that we need to be engaged—whether that be on a local level or a national level, it will only serve to help us along our journeys. I hope that this information has been insightful for everyone and that you attend the next Open House to soak up some of the vast knowledge from our mentors.