Meet a Health Information Management Project Manager: Sandy | Health Sciences Education | Cleveland Clinic

What interested you in becoming a Project Manager?

I have always been interested in life sciences but I also wanted a career where I could incorporate the business component of healthcare. After reading a book on careers I discovered HIM is a perfect match for the combination of life sciences and business. My role as project manager also lends itself to integrating the variety of functions the HIM department is involved in.

What physical and/or soft skills do you need to have to succeed?

Project Management requires excellent communication, critical thinking, and prioritization skills along with strong attention to detail and a solid clinical and health information management skill set.

What advice would you give to interested high school students?

I strongly encourage students to pursue their interests. It is important to be actively engaged. For example, volunteer in an HIM department, join student and local HIM associations, and shadow HIM professionals. If the student has an interest in becoming a Project Manager they should become proficient in software applications beneficial to project management.

What interested you in working at Cleveland Clinic?

Many factors drew my attention to working at Cleveland Clinic including a chance meeting of an acquaintance who shared with me an opening in CDI. But it was the reputation of world class care, the expertise, knowledge, and innovation of caregivers that left an impression on me. The opportunity to grow professionally by advancing into different roles in the HIM department is an additional benefit.

What excites you about Health Information Management?

The vast amount of opportunity is amazing, particularly in the health care environment. There is never a dull moment. The variety of projects and the challenges to implement projects and improve processes is unparalleled.

What has been your most gratifying experience as a Project Manager?

Contributing to the timely completion of a project while meeting the outlined goals and expectations; resulting in a favorable outcome for the project is most gratifying.

What career options do you have in this field?

Coding, Recovery Auditor Contractors, Document Integrity Specialist (DIS), Electronic Health Record (EHR), Release of Information, Informatics, Privacy and Security, Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist (CDI), Registry, Project Management, and various Management Opportunities. There are also a variety of opportunities within Compliance, Legal and Risk, and Quality Assurance.

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