This intensive, six month program is designed to train Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) skills to support the Healthcare Information Technology EMR Trainer role identified by the US Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The curriculum offered by Orange Coast College includes the Core and Secondary recommendations by the ONC Workforce Development Curriculum Development Centers for this role. The objective of this program is to enhance the professional skills of the students to prepare them to obtain jobs in the healthcare IT industry, and to be prepared to pass the HIT Professional Competency Exam being developed through the ONC Workforce Development program. The Competency Exam program is scheduled to launch nationally in mid-2011. OCC will share information with students about the Competency Exam process as it is made available by the ONC.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGIES
- Lecture and applications of ideas
- Video
- Digital presentations
- Demonstration and practice of problem solving
- Discussion Board discourse
- News, article, and journal reading assignments
METHOD OF STUDENT EVALUATION
Students must achieve an overall minimum grade equivalent of a “C” letter grade (75%) in order to receive a certificate of program completion. The total grade will be sourced from course activities as follows:
- Quizzes – 40%
- Quality and consistency of Discussion Board participation – 30%
- Class attendance and discussion participation – 30%
ONC Workforce Development Role Information
Permanent Staff of Health Care Delivery and Public Health Sites
These roles are needed for ongoing support of health IT that has been deployed in office practices, hospitals, health centers, long-term care facilities, health information exchange organizations and state and local public health agencies. Preparation for this set of roles will typically require six months of intense training for individuals with appropriate backgrounds.
Trainers:
Workers in this role design and deliver training programs, using adult learning principles, to employees in clinical and public health settings. The previous background of workers in this role includes experience as a health professional or health information management specialist. Experience as a trainer in from the classroom is also desired. Workers in this role will:
- Be able to use a range of health IT applications, preferably at an expert level
- Communicate both health and IT concepts as appropriate
- Assess training needs and competencies of learners
- Design lesson plans, structuring active learning experiences for users
- Track training records of the users and develop learning plans for further instruction
The following is the suggested courses to be covered. Upon successful completion of the components students will be awarded a certificate of completion and a list of competencies learned.
1. Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
2. The Culture of Health Care.
3. Introduction to Information and Computer Science.
4. Health Management Information Systems.
5. Vendor specific software and VitsA.
6. Professionalism/Customer Service in the Healthcare.
7. Training and Instructional Design
Workers in this role will be able to:
Be able to use a range of health IT applications, preferably at an expert level. Communicate clearly both health and IT concepts as appropriate, in language the learner/user can understand.
Apply a user-oriented approach to training, reflecting the need to empathize with the learner/user.
Assess training needs and competencies of learners.
Accurately assess employees’ understanding of training, particularly through observation of use both in and out of classroom.
Design lesson plans, structuring active learning experiences for users and creating use cases that effectively train employees through an approach that closely mirrors actual use of the HIT in the patient care setting.
Maintain accurate records of training events.
Maintain accurate training records of the users and develop learning plans for further instruction.