An Alternative To Nursing

My dream of becoming a nurse has been put on hold. I spent many semesters waiting to be accepted into an accredited nursing program. Across the country nursing programs are saturated with applications and unfortunately lack instructors to meet the demand.

Most nursing programs place stringent guidelines on the selective process, to some degree we understand. If you are among the lucky applicants accepted, prepare to press the pause button on your family, work, and social life.

There seem to be zero tolerance from the nursing program faculty for students allowing issues-outside their nursing studies-to interfere with their studies. Once you are accepted, your new worry is getting through the 3 to 4 years without any crisis. God forbid you have to request a leave of absence from the program.

I was finally accepted into a nursing program. The clinical rotation was brutal but rewarding. I came very close to finishing but couldn’t afford to continue.

Now I know there are other places to go for financial help, considering my school was unable to contribute. Next time I'll handle the situation differently. Instead of throwing away everything I worked for and pulling my pillow over my head. I will exhaust every resource, including having a yard sell to find money to earn my degree.

I am so fortunate finding an alternative to nursing. Healthcare administration and management is a thriving field. My study program merges healthcare and informatics. I am learning the latest computer software skills. More importantly, I am able to apply nursing concepts and medical diagnoses I’ve learned from past studies.

The health information management studies includes, in-depth learning of ICD-9 and CPT; while integrating legal and ethical issues too. Also there's comprehensive lessons on quality and utilization management. Students are armed and prepared for certifications, including the RHIA certification.

Notably, there are many registered nurses who are studying health information management. Most of the students who introduced themselves are either students who weren’t accepted into a nursing program or nurses facing burn out from nursing jobs.There are a few students who don’t have a healthcare background. They tend to struggle with understanding medical diagnoses and procedures. So having some form of healthcare background is helpful.

Now is the best time to enter the HIM field. President Obama understands the importance of the implementation of ICD-10, which is fast approaching. Not to mention, the requirement to computerized all patient records. He is an advocate for many programs that are HIM focused.

If you find yourself waiting semester after semester to be accepted into a nursing program, perhaps you should consider changing your major from nursing to HIM.

I never thought I could love any career as much as nursing. I was wrong. My HIM studies are exciting; it merges indirect patient care and management.

I firmly believe in God and recognize all of his blessings. Perhaps, nursing isn’t what my spiritual guide has planned for me. Working hard and being a dedicated nursing student prepared me for my new journey in health information management.

If you are interested in learning more go to AHIMA website.

Anna Karryn




An Alternative To Nursing by http://mama-goes-back2school.blogspot.com/ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://try2think.wordpress.com/.