Our Health Information Technology (HIT) program provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the management and security of medical information in the digital era. With our program’s practical coursework and training, you’ll be prepared for a high-demand career in health information management.
Our HIT certificate programs prepare you for an entry-level clerical position in a medical record or health information management department. Those who graduate with a Level I Certificate will possess the medical terminology and requirements for collecting, storing, and retrieving medical record content for varying types of medical facilities. Level II builds on the knowledge gained in the Level I Certificate and provides a more in-depth understanding of HIT and introduces medical coding to students. TSI readiness is also required for a Level II Certificate. Classes for this program are held online. Explore more about the two certificates you can earn:
Graduates of the A.A.S. degree are eligible to sit for the American Health Information Management Association’s credentialing exam for qualifications as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT). HIT professionals can work in a variety of positions responsible for the quality and protection of patients’ medical data. You can earn a position as a health information specialist, health information technologist, clinical coding/billing analyst, and more. You can also decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Find more information, including wages and education requirements, on Career Coach!
Play Video
Most clinical facilities require that criminal background checks be completed before allowing students to participate in clinical training. Applicants conditionally accepted into the HIT A.A.S. degree program must complete a criminal background check. Final acceptance into the program is contingent upon a satisfactory background check, which a WCJC-approved agency will complete. The cost of the criminal background check will be at the applicant’s expense. The anticipated cost for the criminal background check is $53.00. Information regarding this process should be obtained from the HIT Department Head.
Total Estimate In-District Cost: $11,979
Total Estimate Out-of-District Costs: $15,639
Total Estimate Out-of-State Costs: $18,759Total Estimate In-District Cost: $3,704
Total Estimate Out-of-District Costs: $4,802
Total Estimate Out-of-State Costs: $5,738Total Estimate In-District Cost: $5,770
Total Estimate Out-of-District Costs: $7,600
Total Estimate Out-of-State Costs: $9,160
Health Information Technicians perform a variety of technical health information functions. They:
Ms. Lutringer received her A.A.S. degree from WCJC and her B.S. degree from Texas State. Before entering academia full-time, she worked for 16 years in Health Information Management. Ms. Lutringer has been a full-time instructor for WCJC since January 2007.
Office: Wharton Campus, Johnson Building 206-H
Phone: (979) 532-6363
Email: lutringerd@wcjc.edu
Ms. Matzke received her B.S. degree from Texas State. Before entering academia full-time, she worked for Gulf Coast Medical Center for 22 years.
Office: Wharton Campus, Johnson Building 120
Phone: (979) 532-6364
Email: matzker@wcjc.edu
Archived Administrative Master Syllabi
The goal of the Wharton County Junior College’s Department of Health Information Technology (HIT) is to prepare students for the practice of the profession of health information management. Modern allied health education requires that the accumulation of scientific knowledge be accompanied by the simultaneous acquisition of essential skills, functions and professional attitudes and behavior. The HIT faculty of Wharton County Junior College has a responsibility to graduate the best possible practitioners; therefore, admission to the HIT educational program in the College is offered only to those who present the highest qualifications for education and training in the art and science of the profession.
Applicants to the HIT program of the College must possess the following general qualities: critical thinking, sound judgment, emotional stability and maturity, empathy, physical and mental stamina, and the ability to learn and function in a wide variety of didactic and clinical settings. Graduates of the HIT program must have the minimal skills, essential functions and knowledge to function in a broad variety of clinical settings.
The faculty of WCJC’s HIT program has a responsibility for the welfare of the patients treated or otherwise affected by students enrolled in the College as well as for the educational welfare of its students relative to the educational programs of the College. In order to fulfill this responsibility the Department Head for the HIT program of the College maintains that certain minimal technical standards must be present in applicants to the HIT educational program of the College. Candidates for the associate of applied science degree must have the following essentials: motor skills; sensory/observational skills; communication skills; intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities; and behavioral/social skills and professionalism.
The Department Head will consider for admission applicants who demonstrate the ability to perform, or to learn to perform, the essential skills listed in this document. The College must ensure that patients are not placed in jeopardy by students with impaired intellectual, physical, or emotional functions. Students will be judged not only on their scholastic accomplishments, but also on their physical and emotional capacities to meet the full requirements of the College’s curricula and to graduate as skilled and effective practitioners.
The essential abilities listed in this document can be accomplished through direct student response, the use of prosthetic or orthotic devices, or through personal assistance, e.g., readers, signers, note-takers. The responsibility for the purchase of prosthetic or orthotic devices serving a student in meeting abilities noted remains with the student and/or agency supporting the student. The College will assist with this accomplishment, as required by law and institutional policy.
Upon admission, a student who discloses a properly certified disability will receive reasonable accommodation but must be able to perform the essential functions of the curriculum and meet the standards described herein for the program in which the student is enrolled. Possible accommodations include opportunities for individual and group counseling, peer counseling, linkages with community services, faculty advisory committees whose members are aware of disabled students and their needs, career counseling, assistance with job searches and interview skills, and extended test taking time, if and when appropriate. Students seeking accommodations should initiate their request in the Office of Counseling & Disability Services at WCJC.
In addition to the general standards described above, the HIT program requires additional specific standards as follows:
Empathy, integrity, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities necessary to function in the health information management field in working with other health professionals and supervising employees. Candidates must possess the emotional well-being required for the full use of their intellectual abilities: the exercise of sound judgment; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with their peers, supervisors, subordinates as well as the medical staff and other users of health information management department services. Candidates must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to perform under stress.
Students in the health information technology program must have the following minimum abilities:
The Health Information Management accreditor of Wharton County Junior College is the
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education
(CAHIIM). The College's accreditation for the Associate degree in Health Information
Management accreditation has been reaffirmed through 2029-2030. All inquiries about
the program's accreditation status should be directed by mail to: CAHIIM, 200 East
Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by Phone at (312)235-3255; Or by
Email at info@cahiim.org.
View our listing at http://cahiim.org.
Thank you for being interested in the Health Information Technology Program at Wharton County Junior College. If you want a healthcare career and computers rather than direct patient care, health information technology may be the right field for you!
Information concerning the profession, application procedures, technical standards, curriculum, and faculty can be found on this website.
The application packet can be printed from the Health Information Technology web page. The deadline for returning your completed application is the fourth Thursday in June or until the class is filled. Don't hesitate to contact the Department Head for more information.
We look forward to meeting you and helping you start a career in Health Information Technology.
For additional information, please feel free to contact one of the following:
Debbie Lutringer, RHIA, CTR
Department Head
Phone: (979) 532-6363
Email: lutringerd@wcjc.edu
Carol Riley
Program Secretary
Phone: (979) 532-6491
Email: carolr@wcjc.edu
