Health Information Technology

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It took a conversation with an acquaintance to lead Colin Rhys Camper to his career path.

Camper, who graduated from Schoolcraft College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Health Information Technology in 2021, said he did not know that field existed when a client of his hairdressing mother mentioned it to him. Being he was interested in coding using SQL and Java, he decided to check out the program.

Several years later, he’s now working in the field as a billing adjudicator for Allstate, a job he’s passionate about.

“Everyone on my team is Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certified and we all use our broad knowledge of medical practices to parse through medical records to ensure they line up with the correct billing. It doesn’t sound exciting on paper, but in practice it’s a lot of investigative work,” he said. “I myself have been working on the special investigations side and I honestly feel like Sherlock Holmes from time to time.”

After transferring many of his general education credits to Schoolcraft College, Camper began taking classes specifically focused on health information technology, which prepares students to enter the world of electronic health care recordkeeping. He got involved in different groups on campus, including tutoring fellow HIT students and getting involved with the HIT Club, a decision that he called a “no-brainer.” He worked closely with Peggy Chapo, the HIT Program Coordinator, to keep students together when in-person activities were not taking place.

“I did not have any previous medical history or skills and felt if I was going to get anywhere, I needed to network heavily. The HIT club introduced me to several peers who are still in the field today,” he said. “It also gave me the opportunity to lead during the pandemic when I became the de facto president. Peggy Chapo and I put a lot of effort into keeping students tightly knit together during that time.”

After graduating and obtaining his RHIT certification, Camper worked at Trinity Health indexing medical records for the Livonia-based health care system. A year later, he went to Allstate.

He said the job security has been a welcome addition to his career, something the numbers for the field back up: the job outlook for workers in HIT show an increase in 7% between 2021 and 2031, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The job security is important to myself as a parent and husband,” Camper said. “Knowing what I do has an immediate impact on the financial and administrative sector of my career means I can generally rest assured I’ll always be employed.”

Such work is great for those looking to get into health care but don’t necessarily want to be face-to-face with patients, Camper said.

“It’s a broad field that really offers flexibility to your needs. It’ll take some time to get there but I started with zero relevant experience and ended up at my career goals within 1.5 years of graduation,” he said. “If you’re interested in logistical problem solving, extrapolating large sums of data, or dealing with varieties of information in a multitasking sense, this is for you.”

Schoolcraft College offers a Health Coding Specialist Certificate and a Health Information Technology Associate of Applied Science that can help prepare students to enter the field. More information on the program can be found at schoolcraft.edu.

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Grandmother serves as inspiration for dual-enrollment student

Schoolcraft College student Mackenzie Compton draws inspiration from her late grandmother, affectionately known as “nana,” as she moves forward to make a positive impact in the world.

“My nana was my grandmother on my father’s side and when my parents got a divorce she basically acted like a second mother to me,” Compton said. “I spent every summer with her camping and swimming in the pool. I was extremely close to her. Whenever I had a problem in life, she was the first person I went to. So when all of this happened it truly was hard on me, but it set off something in me to do better for her.”

Mackenzie sitting with her Nana
With Nana: Mackenzie Compton said her grandmother was like a second mother to her. (Photo provided.)

A native of Livonia, Compton was already familiar with Schoolcraft College. She became a Dual Enrollment student after starting at Livonia Churchill High School and continuing with Michigan Connections Academy.

“The phlebotomy program grabbed my interest,” Compton said of the program about how to learn to draw blood. “At Schoolcraft I took Anatomy and Physiology (BIO 237/238), Math 113, Math 128, Medical Terminology, Medical Office and Procedures, Biology (BIO 101), Software Applications (CIS 120), and Phlebotomy.”

She also plays travel hockey for Belle Tire out of Taylor, is active in in musical theater at Dearborn Youth Theater and works part-time at Ulta Beauty.

Despite carrying such a heavy academic load, working, and participating in other activities, Compton was determined to succeed – both for herself and to honor her nana’s memory.

“My absolute favorite class was medical terminology with professor Kathy Taylor,” Compton said. “She has stuck with me all these years because she truly cared about her students’ success more than anyone I’ve ever met. She helped me on several occasions and had genuine connections for her students. She was my favorite professor without a doubt.”

Professor Taylor, who teaches in the Health Information Technology program, was similarly impressed.

“Mackenzie was a student in my medical terminology class on-campus for the Winter of 2020 semester,” she said. “I remember the first day of class when I met her. She was an excellent student and participated in class positively.  

“It wasn’t until a few weeks into the semester that she mentioned she was a dual-enrolled student, and I was really taken aback by that fact. Mackenzie was the youngest student in class, but one would have never suspected.

“She was a very mature student – very well-spoken and always on time and always prepared for class. She was just a joy to get to know and was well-respected by her classmates.”

Compton heads to Michigan State University this fall to study nursing and human biology as she begins her pre-med path.

“After that, I am planning to attend medical school (hopefully in California) to study cardiology,” she said.

Professor Taylor sees nothing but success in Compton’s future.

“My impression of Mackenzie is she is an intelligent young lady who has a very promising future and will be quite successful,” she said. “She is a self-motivated, hard worker and focused; I am very confident she will achieve her goals. I believe Mackenzie is an inspiration for our future.”

Feature Photo – Graduation: Mackenzie Compton started at Livonia Churchill High School and continued with Michigan Connections Academy. (Photo provided.)