Programs handbooks

Health Information Management: Academic overview

Learning outcomes

Health Information Management AAS Degree Outcomes

Curriculum

A total of 94 credit hours of Health Information Management program coursework is required. The course sequence can be found on the PCC Catalog Health Information Management AAS Degree page.

All students are provided with a list of courses to be taken by term throughout the HIM program. Students should sign up for all the courses on that list for the current term unless:

  1. Student has transferred in an equivalent course, or
  2. Student received approval for an exception by the HIM program director

All students have a customized term-by-term schedule that is listed in GRAD Plan in MyPCC. Deviating from this plan may delay graduation since the student may not complete prerequisites for future courses that are offered once a year. If a student is not able to register for a course on their plan, contact the HIM program adviser or instructor for assistance.

Students are eligible to continue from term to term in the program if they meet academic and performance standards as follows: Students must maintain a “C” or Pass grade or better in each required course in the program.

Technical standards

Refer to the essential functions page on the Health Information Management program website.

Grading

See the College policies: conduct, professional standards, and ethics section for the Portland Community College academic standards and refer to the PCC Grading Guidelines. In the HIM program, students must maintain a “C” or Pass grade or better) in each of the required technical courses (HIM, BI, CIS, all prerequisite courses) in order to continue to progress through the HIM program and be eligible for the Associate of Applied Science degree. A maximum of 24 credits of “P” (Pass) grades will apply to this degree.

Students who do not maintain a “C” or Pass grade or better in one or more courses will be contacted by the program director or advisor about their status in the program and what needs to occur to continue in the program. An effort is made to work with students after they have completed the anatomy and physiology courses and all first-term courses successfully. A student receiving a course grade below a “C” or an “NP” (not passing) will need to retake the course.

Please note that HIM courses are presently offered only once a year, so if a course needs to be retaken, graduation may be delayed. If the anatomy and physiology courses and other first-term courses are not completed successfully, it may be necessary to restart the program with the following fall cohort, if space permits.

The grading scale used for each class in the HIM program will be included in the individual course syllabus and is listed below.

Grading scale
  • A: Superior, 90 – 100 %
  • B: Above Average, 80 – 89 %
  • C: Average, 70 – 79 %
  • D: Substandard, 60 – 69 %
  • F: Failure, under 60

Symbols routinely used for grading and the conditions under which these may be applied are listed in the college catalog and in the schedule each term.

Exams

Students who successfully complete the HIM program are eligible to take the national Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT®) exam given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The program director will provide the necessary information prior to the time applications should be submitted. It is recommended that graduates take the RHIT exam as soon as possible following completion of the program. AHIMA has historical data that demonstrates that the sooner students take the exam after graduation, the higher their score on the exam.

Students may be eligible for early RHIT testing during their last term of the program. Students should obtain the form on the AHIMA website and submit the completed form to the program director for approval. The EPC number of the Portland Community College program is 423.

The program director will begin signing early testing forms after winter term grades are posted, for students who will be graduating at the end of spring term. If students will not be completing all their general education courses until summer term, they will not be eligible for early testing until summer term.

Students who pass the RHIT exam during their final term in the program will not be required to take the final exams in any of their HIM courses or the remaining mock exams in the HIM 293 course.

Students who pass the RHIT exam during the final term of their program must wait until their degree is posted, usually two to three weeks after graduation, and then have their official transcripts sent to AHIMA to officially receive the RHIT certification. Confirm the degree is posted, using MyPCC prior to requesting the transcripts be sent. This must be done within a year of taking the exam.

Although the PCC HIM program is a closed program with a full cohort of students each year, graduates may be able to retake or audit courses to prepare for the exams. Permission may be granted on a space-available basis.

The PCC HIM Advisory Committee members have stated that if a graduate applies for a job without having the RHIT, many times hiring managers will assume the person has failed the exam. Many HIM professionals can provide examples of graduates who were not interviewed for jobs because they did not have the RHIT.

It is important to plan ahead to understand the accommodations allowable and the accommodation approval process for the RHIT exam. See the accommodations section on the AHIMA Apply to Take an Exam webpage. Note that AHIMA requires more documentation than PCC requires to approve an accommodation and Accessible Ed & Disability Resources will assist you in obtaining the required documentation, if needed.

Transfer credits and prior learning

For information regarding advanced placement, transfer of credits, and credits for experiential learning, see the Academic overview section.

Students with a coding credential including the HCS-D, CPC, CPC-A, CCA, CCS, or CCS-P may receive transcript credit for some of the coding courses. This is considered non-traditional credit at Portland Community College. The following credit may be received:

  1. For the CPC, CPC-A, and CCS-P, credit may be received for HIM 273 and HIM 275.
  2. For the CCA and CCS, credit may be received for HIM 270, HIM 273, and HIM 275.
  3. For the HCS-D, credit may be received for HIM273.

Credits may be granted for the following situations as well:

  1. Students with coding experience may submit their resume to be reviewed for possible credit substitution for HIM 270, 273, and 275.
  2. Students with a nursing license (RN or LPN) may request credit for HIM 131 and 136.
  3. Students with a certified medication aide (CMA) or pharmacy technician license may request credit for HIM 136.

Competencies for graduation

Currently the PCC HIM program is not competency-based, however the program is in the process of converting to a Competency-based Education program in 2024/2025.

Advising and counseling

The HIM program director is available to all HIM students for advising. Please email them directly to set up a time to meet either on campus or on Zoom. Stay connected and meet regularly with one of the program advisors listed in the program Contacts section. Refer to the PCC Advising webpage for more information.

Professionally trained counselors are also available to assist students. Help is available for matters such as learning difficulties and study skills, development, and exploration, as well as for family, personal, and social problems. Counselors are a good source of information about the college and its programs, community resources, etc. The Counseling Office at the Cascade Campus is in the Student Services Building and they can be reached at 971-722-5271. A referral to a counselor can be made through the program staff if desired.

Learning support

Refer to the Support services section to find resources from PCC. HIM course instructors are available for conferences concerning assignments, tests, course content, course progress, etc. Each course syllabus will state office hours available to meet with the instructor on campus or through Zoom if needed. Appointments should be made with instructors and/or to verify advising times.

Options to remediate

HIM program instructors are available to all students to ensure student success. If a student is having difficulties, first they need to contact the instructor directly, if no resolution is made, then the student should contact the HIM faculty department chair/program director. If there is still no acceptable resolution, then the student may contact the program dean for assistance.

Withdrawal and re-entry

Program withdrawals

Students are encouraged to confer with the HIM faculty or program director before contacting Enrollment Services to withdraw from the program (see Enrollment Services’ process). If students are having difficulties and considering dropping from the program, faculty or the program director may have solutions to help students remain in the program. The program does need to know and report why students withdraw from the program for accreditation and planning purposes.

Class changes (add/drop)

Discussion with the HIM advisor should take place prior to the time the student initiates add/drop procedures. This applies to general education courses as well as the HIM courses. Failure to do so may result in inadequate hours or types of courses necessary for degree requirements. Consult PCC’s Registration Policies for registering for classes, dropping a class, and other information.

Re-entry and readmission procedures

If a student voluntarily drops the program, they should contact the admissions coordinator at healthca@pcc.edu to discuss steps to be readmitted to the program.

If a student withdraws from their courses during the first term in the program, they must apply for admission with the new cohort for the year they wish to re-enter the program.

Students who drop their courses during a term are assumed to have dropped the program and must contact the program director or admissions coordinator to determine eligibility and requirements for re-entering the program.

Academic resources

The following are commonly used links that are helpful for the academic journey.

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Standards and procedures