The Kentucky Health Information Management Association (KHIMA) is a nonprofit healthcare professional organization representing thousands of credentialed professionals in the commonwealth. It is committed to protecting patient confidentiality and maintaining valid and accurate health data that drives the healthcare industry.
Student Ambassador Program
Each year, KHIMA holds a conference that provides members an opportunity to network and attend continuing education sessions. KHIMA awards four student ambassador positions, which provides students the opportunity to network with professionals in the field and gain valuable professional association experience. Student ambassadors assist with meeting coordination, manage the registration booth, assist exhibitors’ setup and help with any other needs that arise.
EKU Online Student Has Positive Experience as an Ambassador
EKU online health services administration student, Sarah Parrott, served as a student ambassador at the 2022 KHIMA conference. Sarah worked in medical coding for 13 years and decided to earn her degree to accomplish a personal goal. She did not intend to change careers as a result of earning her degree. However, she was introduced to a number of new career possibilities after attending the KHIMA annual meeting.
At the conference, she took the opportunity to network with professionals who were happy to answer questions, offer advice and words of encouragement, and presented internship opportunities. Sarah says this experience changed her career path. Someone she met at the conference encouraged her to apply for a position that she considered a dream job.
Sarah says she had never considered applying to other positions because of her loyalty to her employer, but also because she did not have the confidence to look outside the department. She applied for and got her dream job and has been in her new role for almost 8 months. She says it has been an amazing change for her and her family.
Other Opportunities for Online Student Involvement
EKU’s health services administration program offers a number of opportunities for online students to participate in networking and professional development opportunities. In addition to encouraging students to attend professional conferences, EKU is an academic organizational affiliate of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). This designation provides students with a number of benefits including:
- Free student membership
- EKU gets two (2) student passes to the HIMSS Global conference
- Networking opportunities
- Scholarship opportunities
- Professional development – access to emerging leaders’ community, resume review, career coaching sessions
- Access to virtual learning opportunities
Interested in learning more about EKU’s online health services administration program?
Earn your bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university that has been an online education leader for over 15 years. Our flexible, online format provides students the ability to complete coursework and assignments according to their schedule.
Complete the form to learn more about how EKU’s online health services administration program can help advance your career.