Personal reflections of my experience at Northwestern's MMI program
As I was deciding which MMI program to
attend, the course descriptions for the Northwestern program helped me make my
final decision. The progression of the coursework just made sense. I needed a
foundation in the basics of databases, networks and telecommunication. It was
evident those early courses in the curriculum were geared toward preparing me
to step into the informatics field with knowledge and practical skills for
success. While completing my course work for the
MMI program, I was faced with making a decision whether to do an individual
thesis or capstone project. Not quite sure of the format for the capstone, with
research I learned there were two deliverables for the course, an electronic
portfolio and a group project. I had such wonderful experiences throughout the
program with group projects; there was no question which path I would choose.
Uncertain what the electronic portfolio project entailed, I recalled early on
speaking with a student just completing the program. He mentioned the
importance of saving all of your projects in a secure area, as you will need
them for the capstone course. This proved to be an extremely helpful
recommendation as I experienced having a new computer and hard drive, as well
as many failed backups, etc.
The first semester courses, Databases and Telecommunications, were prerequisites. I was required to take these courses and they provided a solid foundation in the technical aspect of medical informatics. Although both courses were challenging the content and format of the program confirmed that my decision to embark upon this journey at Norhtwestern was the correct choice.
Second semester classes for me included Health Care Operations (HCO) and Introduction to Medical Informatics. The HCO course provided an excellent foundation on how the healthcare system works at an organizational level, as well as on a day-to-day basis. In addition we were introduced to elements of the HITECH act and Meaningful Use incentives, which influence the rush to roll out EMR’s. The Medical Informatics course was an introductory course that provided the basis for understanding various nomenclatures and terminology mapping. A project in this course allowed us to go through the process as a consultant, hired by a hospital system, to explore options, choose, and implement the EMR for that institution.
I concurrently enrolled in the HIT Interoperability and Standards course along with the Legal, Ethical and Social Issues course. The content heavy law class delved deeply into privacy issues, protected health information as well as, the regulatory landscape of healthcare. I learned so much regarding real issues with the difficulties in standardization and interoperability from the HIT course. If you talk to any healthcare provider they will comment there are so many systems, but none of them talk to each other. Fortunately there are many exciting projects underway tackling these issues and I believe once we overcome them we will see an explosion in the benefits that can be gained from the EMR including improved quality of care, cost containment, research, and individualized treatments using genomics.
At the same time I was taking the CDSS course I was enrolled in the Medical Acquisitions course. All I can say about the Acquisitions course is WOW. I never imagined I could draft a document like I did for the course group project. This was an excellent learning experience and I was fortunate to work with a terrific group, Chris, Andy and Jarrod to develop a statewide HIE. The CDSS course covered many topics regarding probabilities and decision-making techniques along with a group project. My group developed a decision support system for Hormonal Replacement Therapy in postmenopausal women. Through the project we leaned not only how to develop the system but the importance of continual monitoring, evaluating and modifying the system as needed. The keys to success for the CDSS are systems that are properly designed, utilizes, and maintained.
My final courses were Biostatistics and Leadership. At first I was extremely apprehensive about the Biostatistics course and it ended up being one of my favorites in the program. I learned how the material might be applied every day in the informatics field. My research paper was crafted on a topic always troubling in my dental practice, the effectiveness of different methods of appointment confirmation. I designed a study, collected data, and used the SPSS statistical software to analyze the results.
Leaving the leadership course for the end of the program has created a dilemma for me: (should I have taken it sooner?). There were so many opportunities for leadership while working on group projects and having those skills from this course could have been most helpful at those times. Always a bit uncertain of the best leadership techniques and qualities, I found the leadership course encouraged exploration into learning techniques to achieve success in my future leadership positions. This course was certainly the most reflective course I have ever taken.
Overall as I reflect on the MMI program and through the process of developing my electronic portfolio, I feel the Medical Informatics Program at Northwestern University has prepared me very well to move in to the informatics field with confidence.
The first semester courses, Databases and Telecommunications, were prerequisites. I was required to take these courses and they provided a solid foundation in the technical aspect of medical informatics. Although both courses were challenging the content and format of the program confirmed that my decision to embark upon this journey at Norhtwestern was the correct choice.
Second semester classes for me included Health Care Operations (HCO) and Introduction to Medical Informatics. The HCO course provided an excellent foundation on how the healthcare system works at an organizational level, as well as on a day-to-day basis. In addition we were introduced to elements of the HITECH act and Meaningful Use incentives, which influence the rush to roll out EMR’s. The Medical Informatics course was an introductory course that provided the basis for understanding various nomenclatures and terminology mapping. A project in this course allowed us to go through the process as a consultant, hired by a hospital system, to explore options, choose, and implement the EMR for that institution.
I concurrently enrolled in the HIT Interoperability and Standards course along with the Legal, Ethical and Social Issues course. The content heavy law class delved deeply into privacy issues, protected health information as well as, the regulatory landscape of healthcare. I learned so much regarding real issues with the difficulties in standardization and interoperability from the HIT course. If you talk to any healthcare provider they will comment there are so many systems, but none of them talk to each other. Fortunately there are many exciting projects underway tackling these issues and I believe once we overcome them we will see an explosion in the benefits that can be gained from the EMR including improved quality of care, cost containment, research, and individualized treatments using genomics.
At the same time I was taking the CDSS course I was enrolled in the Medical Acquisitions course. All I can say about the Acquisitions course is WOW. I never imagined I could draft a document like I did for the course group project. This was an excellent learning experience and I was fortunate to work with a terrific group, Chris, Andy and Jarrod to develop a statewide HIE. The CDSS course covered many topics regarding probabilities and decision-making techniques along with a group project. My group developed a decision support system for Hormonal Replacement Therapy in postmenopausal women. Through the project we leaned not only how to develop the system but the importance of continual monitoring, evaluating and modifying the system as needed. The keys to success for the CDSS are systems that are properly designed, utilizes, and maintained.
My final courses were Biostatistics and Leadership. At first I was extremely apprehensive about the Biostatistics course and it ended up being one of my favorites in the program. I learned how the material might be applied every day in the informatics field. My research paper was crafted on a topic always troubling in my dental practice, the effectiveness of different methods of appointment confirmation. I designed a study, collected data, and used the SPSS statistical software to analyze the results.
Leaving the leadership course for the end of the program has created a dilemma for me: (should I have taken it sooner?). There were so many opportunities for leadership while working on group projects and having those skills from this course could have been most helpful at those times. Always a bit uncertain of the best leadership techniques and qualities, I found the leadership course encouraged exploration into learning techniques to achieve success in my future leadership positions. This course was certainly the most reflective course I have ever taken.
Overall as I reflect on the MMI program and through the process of developing my electronic portfolio, I feel the Medical Informatics Program at Northwestern University has prepared me very well to move in to the informatics field with confidence.