Courtney Sabo\u2019s foray into the health information management (HIM) field was a bit of a winding road. The Manitoba native and MBNU chapter committee member initially wanted to work with animals, starting as a dog groomer when she was just 18 and attending Red River College to become a veterinary technician\u2014and that\u2019s when her plan went awry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe job isn\u2019t what most people think it is,\u201d Courtney shares. Day in and day out she was on the front lines of animal care, handling serious emergencies. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do it long term; it was too much emotionally.\u201d She returned to the Red River College program directory, where she stumbled upon HIM. The combination of technology and health care\u2014but not front-line care\u2014was just what Courtney was looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A relative newcomer to the profession (she graduated in 2016), Courtney hasn\u2019t yet been exposed to all the angles of HIM and continues to have \u2018aha\u2019 moments. Her biggest so far, though, came after she became the go-to for her peers when they had questions and sought direction. She thought, \u201cMaybe I have the ability to teach people, and maybe they\u2019re asking me these questions for a reason.\u201d As she moved into coding, she took to training other coders and teaching them how to do things\u2014so when the opportunity to become a coding tutor at Red River College arose, she jumped at it. \u201cI knew right away: this is what I have to do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an instructor for Red River College\u2019s HIM program, Courtney helps shape the new generation of HIM professionals. At the same time, she feels she has a responsibility to help address perhaps the most significant challenge facing the profession: recognition. She notes, \u201cThis is something Jeff [Nesbitt, CEO] speaks about a lot when he visits colleges, and I appreciate that.\u201d Before she came across the program, she\u2019d never heard of HIM. \u201cSomething is wrong there,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s why my job is perfect for me, because I have to be one of the biggest HIM advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what does that advocacy entail? For Courtney, it\u2019s about educating others about the role of HIM professionals. \u201cThrough my job, I\u2019m hoping to bring this career more into the light,\u201d she shares. She encourages her students to tell people about what they do and highlight their unique skills\u2014to show people what can be done with data that isn\u2019t currently being used. Her hope is that promoting the profession will help employers and the public understand the value that HIM professionals bring to the table, which may also have a positive impact on starting wages for those entering the profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the Canadian health care system deals with the coronavirus outbreak, Courtney feels that there is an opportunity to educate people about health care resources and how the system is working. HIM professionals have a strong understanding about resources and the health care system as a whole, and they play a critical role in situations like this one. It\u2019s the coders working on the COVID-19 cases who provide data for the analysts\u2014data that then moves on to support research and the work of organizations like CIHI. Without the numbers to look at, we can\u2019t prepare for the future. It\u2019s HIM professionals who manage the data to help us understand how to deal with things going forward. As Courtney says, \u201cNot all heroes wear scrubs!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Courtney\u2019s passion for HIM is evident, and the profession is fortunate to have her as an advocate. \u201cI feel lucky to have stumbled upon this career. It happened for a reason, and I ended up at the college for a reason,\u201d she says. \u201cI hope my students see that, and that I\u2019ve motivated them as HIM professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Courtney Sabo\u2019s foray into the health information management (HIM) field was a bit of a winding road. The Manitoba native and MBNU chapter committee member initially wanted to work with animals, starting as a dog groomer when she was just 18 and attending Red River College to become a veterinary technician\u2014and that\u2019s when her plan went awry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":1504260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[391,356,136,384,350,144,362,137],"tags":[401,157,133],"class_list":["post-1504259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-391","category-chima","category-type","category-mbnu","category-partner","category-chapters","category-stories","category-year","tag-covid-19","tag-education","tag-health-information-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n