IT professional shares career shift advice
Jaime (Jim) E. Borda, MBA, serves as an EHR Project Manager for Virginia HIT (VHIT), Virginia's health IT regional extension center. In this role, he supports primary care providers as they implement an EHR system, integrate it into the patient care setting and work to achieve meaningful use. Jim brings more than 10 years of experience leading and managing Operations and IT support teams. For the last five years, he has been a consultant and provider of health IT solutions centered on selection, implementation and ongoing training and support for implementation of EHRs.
Recently, Jim completed the HIT Workforce Development Program at Tidewater Community College. He holds a Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Management and a Bachelor of Business Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Q: How did you begin your career in health IT?
A: After being faced with another layoff in the IT profession, I looked at health IT. I've always had a passion for healthcare, so health IT seemed like a good fit. I began exploring the idea of starting my own company, with a mission of providing great customer service and support. It was a huge challenge not having a clinical background, however. I began my career in the industry as a vendor selling health IT equipment. This was a great way to learn about the industry. I then worked at a continuing care retirement community as a health IT specialist.
Q: How familiar were you with health IT before entering this field?
A: I wasn't as familiar as I would have liked to have been. I took every opportunity to learn as much as I could. I studied health IT and contacted industry experts to quickly learn about health IT products and services. It was critical that I became an expert on these products and services so I could help others.
Q: What were the challenges you faced when coming from the IT industry into healthcare? What were your best experiences early on?
A: My biggest challenge was being unfamiliar with health IT systems and terminology. I asked a lot of questions, talked to many industry experts and learned all I could. It's frustrating not being as familiar with something as you'd like to be. Studying and learning is key. My best experiences learning about health IT early on came from talking with industry experts. I was lucky to find so many individuals willing to take the time to help me learn about health IT products and services and help me "get up to speed" on the industry. It was fascinating to learn all about the unique practice settings and how each has its own processes and culture—and what I could do to help clinicians in these settings in their EHR implementation efforts.
Q: What recommendations would you give someone entering this industry for the first time?
A: It's important to remain focused on the customer and the customer's needs. Be their partner. This will provide a solid foundation for everything else you need to do toward helping them learn about products and services, on their journey to EHR adoption.
Q: How did you become involved in the Health IT Consortia Project at Tidewater Community College (TCC)? What advice would you give to others interested in participating in this program?
A: One of the factors getting me to where I am today has been successful networking—the opportunities I've had to listen, learn and communicate with industry experts. I was lucky enough to hear about the Health IT Consortia Project early on when the program began. I was one of the first to contact the head of the program, Dr. LeFever, who was extremely helpful and I quickly learned how this program could help me facilitate the implementation and support of EHRs. I'm happy to say I was one of the first students to be accepted into the program. For individuals who are considering participating in this program or a similar one, I say go for it; don't give it a second thought. My experience in the Health IT Consortia Project at TCC has been one of the most rewarding opportunities in my career. This program offers invaluable training in how to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare through EHR adoption. I believe my experiences at TCC set me on a course for future career successes. My advice to future students is to stay focused on the ultimate goal—learning all you can to assist clinicians and healthcare systems in achieving meaningful use of health IT.
Q: What are your thoughts about future career plans?
A: I see tremendous opportunities through health IT. I want to continue my efforts to drive and help the industry, by offering support and resources to those wanting to improve the delivery of care. Working as an EHR project manager for an REC these past two months has been a wonderful opportunity, both personally for my career and professionally, to advance the industry. My focus is on helping our REC achieve its goal to assist providers in achieving meaningful use of health IT. We have opportunities to do wonderful things and help many people as part of the REC.
Q: What do you think about your career and the impact the health IT industry has on people's lives?
A: My passion for healthcare has helped me get to where I am today as an REC manager. I'm dedicated to the REC's mission of helping physicians implement EHRs to improve the healthcare system. To achieve this, we're bringing people together from various segments of the healthcare industry. This collaboration is giving us the ability to help people improve their lives through better healthcare outcomes, which is truly remarkable. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) should be commended for what they're doing to achieve a similar goal with successful programs throughout the country. Ongoing support from regional extension centers is critical. The Virginia HIT (VHIT) REC is working hard to recruit primary care providers and help more individuals in healthcare to foster widespread adoption of EHRs and achieve meaningful use, while helping improve the quality of care that is delivered to everyone in Virginia.
