A request to fill employment needs within an allied health professional field at Mayo Clinic not only led to the birth of the Health Information Technology (HIT) program at Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC), but has now propelled it into one of the leading online educational programs in the state and nation.
Judy Gust, director of the HIT program at Rochester, said she worked with a number of area health professionals at the Mayo Clinic and Olmstead County Medical Center in Rochester, and Fairview Systems in Red Wing in the fall of 1998 to write a new program proposal for a two-year associate's degree. It is one of about five nationally accredited HIT programs in the country with an enrollment of over 100 students.
"It took us a year to write the curriculum, get it approved by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and begin offering it," said Gust, who has taught at RCTC since 1986.
While the program was only offered in the evenings during its inception, it did get an early taste of how it would evolve into an online program.
"We also simultaneously delivered all classes to employees of Mayo Clinic Scottsdale via interactive television," she said.
Arlynne Wolf, the director of the Century College Kitchen and Bath Design program, which offers a completely online certificate, said students need special characteristics to be successful online learners. "Online students must be self-motivated and driven," she said. "They must have good time management skills, be willing to discover new things on their own, be very computer savvy and very independent. These are all traits that are desirable in the kitchen and bath industry, so those individuals that completed the program went on to obtain very good positions in the industry. This year, we saw more students choose the online option since it is easy to manage their own time, works well with working part or full time, saves on gas and saves on child care."
By 2000, the program began to transition the courses to online delivery, and in 2002, it was offered entirely online which included the general education course requirements. The program was accredited as a quality online program by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Accreditation group before fall semester of 2003. Since then, students have been able to apply, register, receive academic advice, and conduct any course activities exclusively online.
"It was a tough decision on our faculty to decide to move online, and we knew that the online learning format would not be ideal for some students," said Gust. "However, in our particular program and career, it is a good fit. The career involves a lot of computer technology, setting priorities, and time management."
Gust says maturity, passing the national exam, personality, and interview skills play a big role in a student's opportunity for employment following completion of the program.
"We also have a pass rate of 91 percent on the Registered Health Information Technology national examination compared to the national average of 73 percent, and I am a firm believer that the online learning experience gives our students an "edge" in taking the computerized national exam," said Gust.
One of the best and perhaps most tangible indicators that the online program is a "good fit," is the fact that its enrollment has grown substantially since starting with 66 students in 1999 to 173 students in spring 2006.
In 1999, Gust notes that students were primarily from Rochester and Scottsdale. Today, besides Arizona and Minnesota, students hail from Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Wisconsin. In Minnesota, students who are taking the course come from every corner of the state, from near the Canadian border to the Iowa border.
As part of the online program, Gust has formed a virtual resource room for students where they can access a website, safeguarded by password and username, to view newsletters from Gust, links to course and career resource, chat room for advising and feedback sessions, as well as discussion boards, including an e-mentor site. Gust said the virtual resource room has saved her a lot of time and has increased her efficiency in her advising role.
In addition to the virtual resource room, Gust developed a virtual Health Information Technology Club which has about 40 members. As part of this club, students have been able to listen to presenters in real time via their computer. Presenters use various PowerPoint documents, as well as Word documents, and make their presentations at monthly membership meetings.
The club has hosted regional health information management meetings and hosted a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system Health Information Technology programs booth at the Minnesota Health Information Management Association state conference in May 2006.
One of the big thrills for Gust was seeing her work-study (actually, her virtual work study!) student graduate this past year, Bev Martin, who took the class from her home in Alaska.
"It was an absolute thrill to have her fly from Alaska to be at her graduation in person on May 10," said a cheerful Gust. "In fact, it was a thrill to have 11 graduates at RCTC face-to-face, some of whom I had never met in person before."