Essex County College is again offering tuition-free training in the cutting-edge Healthcare Information Technology Professional Certificate Program this spring. An open house information session will be held January 25, 2011 from 6 to 8 p.m., in Room 2131 at the main Newark campus.

The extensive evening program is being offered through a two-year grant funded by the Office of the National Coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services, Grant Number 90CC00801/10.The initial offering held last fall attracted 67 students.

For additional information, and to sign up for an information session, contact program manager Denise Brooks at (973) 877-3527 or Ana Roman at (973) 877-1904. Applications for the program will be distributed at the information session.

Three separate certificate programs will be offered March 24-August 24. The classes are held 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for six months (180 hours). The program is offered through the college’s Division of Community and Continuing Education.

The training is designed to prepare students for employment in the electronic healthcare information technology industry. The classes are being offered in conjunction with the Community College HITECH Consortium, led by Tidewater Community College in Virginia.

One of the goals of the consortium is to assist the federal government’s nationwide healthcare initiatives by training health professionals who, in turn, will help implement the development and competent use of the nation’s electronic medical records information system.

Program offerings at Essex include:

• Practice Workflow and Information Management Redesign Specialist, which assists in reorganizing the work of a health provider to ensure maximum use of features available through electronic medical information technology.
  
  
• Implementation Support Specialist who provides critical on-site support in both clinical and public health settings.
  
  
• Technical/Software Support Staff who supports and maintains the IT systems.
  An additional 20 hours of internship is a requirement for students in the consultant and trainer tracks. (If only 1-3 and 5 are listed, you don’t need the bolded statement.
  
  
• Eligibility requirements include participants having a high school diploma or GED equivalent; a background in healthcare or information technology; a letter of reference from an employer in healthcare; and preferably a basic knowledge of computer software applications.