CPHIMS – Connecting Technical Expertise & Personal Health

by Tracey Holland, CPHIMS

Tracey Holland, CPHIMS

Recently I was asked why I chose to pursue the CPHIMS certification.  My immediate response seemed rather obvious: to further my career.  That response doesn’t sound very satisfying, not even when I say it to myself.  So, while it is technically a truthful answer, it really doesn’t scratch the surface of what really motivated me.

 As I considered the reasons I chose this course of action, I realized acquiring the CPHIMS certification was just one of many, very intentional steps I have taken over the last several years to make my life meaningful.  I am on a journey, a journey that began at a time in my life when I was unhappy, a journey that has required self-reflection and self-development, a journey I have found both hard work and a lot of fun, a journey that in and of itself is fulfilling.  It is the journey that is far more significant than the steps I take along the way.

At the time I began this journey, I already had reached several significant personal life milestones: I was happily married with two children and no significant financial worries.  I suspect I am not unlike many women today; motherhood, marriage and fiscal security were not enough to make me feel happy and fulfilled. 

A few years after the birth of my second child, while stuck in a professional rut, I found that I wanted and needed my work to have purpose; I needed both my personal and professional lives to be meaningful.  Specifically I realized that doing work with purpose brought me great satisfaction, and I wanted my career to focus on things I felt were important.

So, my journey began with many questions, some of which include:

• What is important in life?
• Which actions and behaviors make me feel the best about myself?
• What impact do I want to have on the world I live in?

Pondering these eventually led to a few answers:  I think it is important to help other people, to the extent that I am able.  I feel the best about myself when I act and behave in ways that make other people respect me. I want to make the world I live in better for my family and the community in which I live. 

I never expected, and at the time, I didn’t even know it was possible.  But I began to intentionally morph myself, my ways of thinking, my outward self presentation, and my goals.  The key was making the purposeful connection between my technical expertise and the things in life I find important.

My interest in health IT is personal.  I’m a lifelong technology geek, so the IT part is a natural fit for me. I also happen to have sister with serious health problems. For many years I have watched, a frustrated spectator, as communication failures between well-intentioned healthcare workers has too often resulted in suboptimal care.

The ridiculously boring job I once held in health IT has become my purposeful professional career.  There have been oh so many steps on this journey, including the CPHIMS certification.  I know there are still many more steps yet to come.  Ultimately, with my career, I intend to play a role in improving the delivery of healthcare.

Tracey Holland, CPHIMS
Director of Imaging Informatics
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.