HIMSS Foundation Supports Professional Certification Grant

The HIMSS Foundation will once again support the HIMSS Professional Certification Grant for Minority Students and Professionals.

The grant program, which is designed to help create an inclusive workforce in healthcare information and technology, prepares underrepresented students and professionals to become a Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS^SM) or a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS^SM).                                                                       

Additional information about the grant program and applications will be announced during Global Health Equity Week, Oct. 23-27, 2023, and made available on the HIMSS Foundation website.

“The HIMSS Foundation is proud to do our part to grow the health IT and informatics community by sponsoring the CAHIMS and CPHIMS grant programs to expand the diversity of applicants,” said Tom Leary, HIMSS Foundation executive director. “One of the barriers to entry into higher level health IT and informatics jobs is the cost of registration and testing for the HIMSS certification programs, particularly for individuals from minority communities. 

“Our grant program removes the barrier to entry for individuals across the HIMSS ecosystem. We are proud of the past grant recipients, and thankful to the individuals and organizations that have donated to help make this program possible for a growing number of health IT and informatics professionals.”

Grant recipients receive materials to help them successfully prepare for the exam, such as review guides, online review courses, practice exams and more. The program also covers the exam application fee for each grant recipient. Throughout the program, participants have regular and consistent support and encouragement from HIMSS staff members.  

For the 2023 grant program, 41 applicants met the requirements for eligibility. A selection committee reviewed and evaluated each application using a standard scoring rubric, determining 24 grant recipients: 14 for the CAHIMS program and 10 for the CPHIMS program. The cohort represented varying majors and university programs, different career stages and professional backgrounds, diverse employers and multiple countries.

Members of the 2023 cohort provided the following feedback about their experiences.

“I felt proud to be the first in my country - Ghana to receive this grant and probably the first to sit for and pass the CAHIMS certification exam. With this new credential, I see myself as an ambassador of HIMSS. The dream is to see the very first HIMSS Africa Digital Healthcare Conference organized in Ghana in the next five years.”

“I'm grateful for the grant program. It provided me the opportunity to attain a goal I've put off for many years. Having the grant gave me great incentive to get it done. The resources provided were also very helpful in me successfully sitting for the certification.”

“I was initially uncertain about my career interests. However, after completing my CAHIMS course, I gained clarity about my short-term and long-term goals. The course content was brilliant, taking me on a journey from the healthcare environment to the inner workings of health IT. Now, I feel much more confident about my career path than ever before.”