Our Campus
The College of St. Scholastica is a private independent college located in Duluth, a town in northeastern Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior. The college was founded in 1912 by a group of Benedictine sisters, who offered college courses to six young women. The college has grown from these humble beginnings to busy campus serving over 2,800 students. St. Scholastica is consistently recognized for excellence by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The magazine's 2006 "America's Best Colleges" ranks St. Scholastica in the Top Tier of regional universities in the Midwest.
Our Health Information Management Programs
St. Scholastica was the first college in the nation to grant a bachelor’s degree in the field of health information management (HIM). Our program has been accredited for over 50 years and is considered one of the premier health care information educational programs in the nation. Over 20 years ago we added the RHIT to RHIA Progression Program to our traditional program. This program was developed to meet the growing needs for RHIT professionals who wished to further their education and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Information Management (HIM) while still working. A more recent addition is our Master of Arts in Health Information Management. All of our programs have been accredited by CAHIIM, are approved by AHIMA, and meet the educational requirements to sit for the RHIA credentialing exam.
A degree in Health Information Management provides students with the professional knowledge necessary to assume management responsibility for health records and health information systems in a variety of health related settings, including hospitals, clinics, long term care settings, consulting firms, government agencies, insurance companies and software vendors. Our programs focus on the development of leadership ability and the critical thinking skills needed to fill these roles. Both our RHIT to RHIA Progression Program and our Masters Program are offered in a distance learning format and can be individualized to meet your needs.
Our Full-time Faculty
Our full time and adjunct faculty are leaders in the field of healthcare information and informatics management. For example, the definitive textbook for baccalaureate and master’s HIM programs, Health Information Management: Concepts, Principles, and Practice is co-edited by HIIM faculty Kathy LaTour, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA (Chair, HIIM) and Shirley Eichenwald Maki, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA (ATHENS Project Manager) who have been recognized as leaders in the health information profession with the AHIMA Legacy Award for significant and sustained service to the profession. All of our full time faculty are active in HIM-related organizations at the local, state, and national levels. The knowledge and expertise gained from these experiences gives HIIM faculty a high level of expertise and keeps the curriculum on the cutting edge.
Key Distinguished Visiting Adjunct Professors in the Master’s program include:
Margret Amatayakul, MBA, RHIA, CHPS, FHIMSS - Margret is president of Margret\A Consulting, LLC. She specializes in computer-based patient records and associated HIM standards and regulations. She has over 30 years experience in national and international HIM, has published extensively, and has earned several professional service awards.
Merida Johns, PhD, RHIA - Merida has extensive experience in the healthcare industry as well as in HIM education. She most recently was the Director of the Master’s in Information Systems Management Program at Loyola University Chicago. She has numerous publications and many hours of professional service.
Tom Walsh, CISSP - Tom is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant. He is President of Tom Walsh Consulting and conducts security training, risk analysis, and remediation activities for healthcare clients. Tom has also published numerous articles on the topic of security, privacy and HIPAA
ATHENS Project
As the healthcare industry is being transformed by various health information technologies, students must be prepared to effectively use these tools in their future healthcare workplaces. Students in the HIIM Program at The College of St. Scholastica have significant levels of hands-on experience using a state-of-the-art electronic medical record system to gain confidence and competence in using this type of information technology as a tool to enhance the quality of their professional practice. For more information about this unique aspect of health professions' education at St. Scholastica, visit our ATHENS project Web site.
How To Contact Us
Do you:
• Have a degree in health information technology (HIT)?
• Have a two year degree in a health care related field?
• Want to earn you bachelor’s degree without having to move, quit your job, or return to school full time?
Then check our web page for more information on our RHIT to RHIA Progression Program - or contact us at Progression Program Information.
If you aren’t ready to pursue your Masters degree but want to bring your healthcare education into the 21st century, you may be interested in one of our graduate level certificate programs. We offer five different certificates:
• Healthcare Informatics
• Nursing Informatics
• Electronic Health Record Strategies
• Project Management
• Revenue Management
For more information please check our web page on Graduate Certificates Programs or contact us at Graduate Certificate Information.
Do you:
• Have a bachelor’s degree in health information management (HIM)?
• Have an undergraduate degree in a health care related field?
• Want to earn your master’s degree without having to move, quit your job, or return to school full time?
Then check our web page for more information on our Master of Arts degree in Health Information Management - or contact us at Masters Program information.
