I found a pretty good article titled “HIT Help Wanted: Will ONC-Funded Programs Do the Trick?” It discusses the HIT Pro progam in what appears to be an honest manner.  I encourage you to read it.

I am progressing through the lecture materials for the HIT Pro Technical/Software Support certification.  The first step in the process was downloading the lecture video presentations and making them available online.  If you are interested you can access the content at http://sl.sierracollege.edu/hitpro.  The study materials, based upon Jason Pomaski’s Unofficial HIT Pro Technical/Software Support Study Guide, include the following curriculum components:

Component  4: Introduction to Information and Computer Science
Component  7: Working with HealthIT Systems
Component  8: Installation and Maintenance of Health IT Systems
Component  9: Networking and Health Information Exchange
Component 11: Configuring Electronic Health Records
Component 14: Vendor-Specific Systems
Component 16: Professionalism/ Customer Service in the Health Environment

I made a decision to skip Component 4, based upon my existing “information and commputer science” background.  I completed the lectures in Component 7 and I’m about half way through the lecture series in Component 8.  Goal is to try and complete a couple of components each week.

I will need to return to Component 7 to deal with the hands-on exercises once I create a virtual server running the VistaA computerized patient record system (CPRS).  Plan is to create a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine operating inside of Oracle’s VirtualBox, and use it for the exercises.  I’m still waiting for a Cache database license and software from Intersystems Corporation, a required need to run VistaA on an Windows platform.

Problem I’m going to be facing in completing the certification has more to do with time and my tendency to spread myself a little thin.  As disclosed in another blog posting, I’m just starting an Oracle online course in Java programming that runs until mid-January when I spend time in a classroom setting at Oracle’s headquarters in the San Jose area.  Oh well.  I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I were not overloaded.

 

I’m progressing on mentoring eight (8) students as we work towards a successful effort in obtaining HIT Pro certification.  At this point I’ve managed to deal with a convoluted curriculum structure and complete the lecture series website (although I need to push it up to my web server.  You can view the site interface by clicking on the “Lecture Series Website” link.  Once I have the site up, I’ll be distributing the link to my students so they (and I) can get started.  Jason Pomaski, in his short manual (around 36 pages), titled “The Unofficial HIT Pro Technical/Software Support Study Guide,” that I purchased for viewing on my iPad, suggests that you “find an available weekend slot two weeks from now and book the exam.  That way you are committed to a date; it helps focusing… trust me.”  While I think that is great advice for those who have the ability to exclusively focus on the certification exam, I can’t ignore my teaching load (including prep) for the next couple of weeks so I’ll just chug along and see if I can devote an hour or so a day to the effort.

Steve

I may have found a resource for those seeking healthcare IT certification at a reasonable cost (actually it may well be FREE for many of us).  Best place to start is at the HIT Pro Exam site. Here you can find and download the Candidate Guide. It provides a list of available HIT Pro certifications that include:

• Practice Workflow & Information Management Redesign Specialist
• Clinician/Practitioner Consultant
• Implementation Manager
• Implementation Support Specialist
• Technical/Software Support Staff
• Trainer

Courseware available to assist students in their preparation for passing the related certification exams is available at the National Training and Dissementation Center’s Health IT Workforce Curriculum Components website.

For instructors like me who work for a community college, it looks as though we can order “free” examination vouchers (at least for the first 27,500 delivered exam) .  The only requirement is the minimum order we can initiate is ten (10) vouchers.  I have placed my first order, with the plan of seeking eight (8) of my students to work with me through the process of studying the curriculum and obtaining certifications.  The first effort will focus on obtaining the HIT Pro Technical/Software Support Staff certification.  For students up to the challenge of a second certification, my tentative plan is to take the Trainer exam and ask the students to select one of the other available certifications as their focus.

I’ll keep you informed as to the progress………

Supplemental Comment: I did receive the ten (10) vouchers and have established a site at www.edmodo.com for the course.  I’m going to begin downloading the appropriate curriculum, having set up a “test site” at http://sl.sierracollege.edu/hitpro for curriculum content location.  I actually have my first “volunteer” student, having emailed my students in my three CIS classes seeking 8 participants.

One cautionary note.  There is a very good article available HERE, that discusses the HIT Pro certification, providing examples of program successes and program failures. I would encourage you to read it.