Campus News
Health Information Technology Receives Initial Accreditation
3/19/19
Minnesota West Community is proud to announce that the Health Information Technology/Management Associate Degree Program has been awarded Initial Accreditation. Initial Accreditation been awarded by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). To receive Initial Accreditation, a comprehensive review was conducted by The CAHIIM and the Board of Directors recognizes the program’s substantial compliance with the nationally established CAHIIM Accreditation Standards.
Terri Petersen, Medical Coding Specialist Instructor, states, "We are so excited to attach the CAHIIM accreditation to our HIT Program. Accreditation is a way to assure our students that we have met the academic quality and standards in higher education for the Minnesota West Community & Technical College Heath Information Technology Program. As a CAHIIM accredited program we are able to assure future employers that their future employee has met the professional knowledge and skills and has experienced a curriculum that is pertinent to today's health information records and technology."
“Receiving accreditation from CAHIIM qualifies our students to take the Registered Health Information Technology (RHIT) exam through AHIMA. This accreditation is a huge accomplishment for Minnesota West, but more importantly for our students. Our students range from just starting their college experience to returning to school for a new career, we meet all these students on their journey in the HIT program. The future in Health Information is changing and more and more employers are looking for students with education beyond coding; including supervisor skills, quality improvement, and healthcare statistics. Giving students information is not enough, they need to apply, analyze, & create these new skills in ways and methods they would experience in future positions. With CAHIIM accreditation, employers can have confidence in the quality of our program to educate students on the most current trends, but also that student’s gain real-world experience with our Professional Practice Experience at local facilities that employ Health Information Technicians and through virtual training. In addition to the RHIT, students in the HIT program are able to sit for AHIMA’s coding exams (CCA, CCS, & CCS-P) along with AAPC’s coding exams (CPC, COC, & CIC), states, Elaina Nichols, Health Information Technology Director & Advisor.
Jackie Otkin, Dean of Allied Health, states, “This has been our goal since the program was developed. The faculty have worked hard to write the curriculum with the highest standards to meet the accreditation guidelines as well as our industry requirements and demands. Our students can sit for the exam with the knowledge and confidence to work in the HIT field.”
Health Information Management Associate Degree is a two-year, 60-credit program that provides hands-on career training and education that prepares students for a variety of careers in the Health Information field. For additional information, visit www.mnwest.edu or call 800-658-2330.
Campus News
Plumbing Program To Be Offered at Pipestone Campus Fall Semester
2/26/19
Minnesota West will offer the Plumbing Technology Program on the Pipestone Campus, Fall semester of 2019. Program options for plumbing will include a 32-credit Plumbing Diploma, 45-credit Plumbing Technician Diploma, and a 60-credit Plumbing Technology A.A.S. Degree option for students to choose from.
The Plumbing Technology Program prepares students for work in all phases of plumbing using a variety of hand and power tool skills. Course work includes training in assembly, installation and repair of pipes, fittings and fixtures which make up water supply or waste disposal systems. Minnesota State plumbing apprenticeship and other certification is attained upon completion of the program.
The Plumbing Technology graduate studies building plans and working drawings to determine work aids and plans the sequence of installation according to print specifications and codes.
The majority of plumbers enter the trade as apprentices, working toward journeyman and master status in residential, commercial and industrial work. Plumbers work in various sized shops in many communities and employment exists nationwide.
Paul Lanoue, Dean of Agriculture and Business states, “Minnesota West has a proud tradition of responding to the workforce needs of our region. With this in mind we are excited to be bringing the Plumbing program to the Pipestone Campus of Minnesota West in the Fall of 2019. Job openings and demand is expected to be very strong in the next 10 years with faster than average growth in the industry. Our tuition is affordable and our program allows students to be earning a quality wage in a short timeframe.”
For additional information about the program or to apply, visit www.mnwest.edu or call 800-658-2330.
Campus News
BPA Students Head to National Convention
2/25/19
The Business Professionals of America, Minnesota College Chapter had its State Leadership Conference in Alexandria, MN on February 21-23. This year's theme was "Together We Create."
Students from the Jackson and Pipestone campuses participated in the Conference. All Minnesota West students placed in the top ten and are qualified for the National Convention to be held in Anaheim, California on May 1-5, 2019.
Pipestone students, Allyson Jensen, Stacy Duscher, Seantae Read, and Jackson students, Amanda Johnson and Roxanne Wavraalso, qualified with Torch Award points for volunteer service to their school and community. They documented a minimum of 50 points in the categories of Leadership; Service; Cooperation; Knowledge; Friendship; Love, Hope & Faith; and Patriotism.
Competition Results:
Jackson Campus
Contest # Contest Name Name Rank
290 Administrative Support Concepts Amie Hughes 7
520 Advanced Interview skills Roxanne Wavra 3
210 Advanced Word Processing Roxanne Wavra 2
590 Business Meeting Mgmt Concepts Roxanne Wavra 8; Amanda Johnson 10
300 Computer Network Technology Amie Hughes 1; Ryan Evers 3
320 Computer Security Amie Hughes 3; Ryan Evers 6
490 Digital Communication Concepts Roxanne Wavra 8
594 Digital Marketing Concepts Amanda Johnson 8; Roxanne Wavra 9
190 Financial Math Concepts Roxanne Wavra 8
400 Fundamental Desktop Publishing Roxanne Wavra 2
200 Fundamental Word Processing Amanda Johnson 4
391 Information Technology Concepts Amie Hughes 2
215 Integrated Office Applications Roxanne Wavra 5
515 Interview Skills Amie Hughes 1; Ryan Evers 4; Amanda Johnson 5
310 Network Admin using Microsoft Amie Hughes 1
250 Medical Office Procedures Roxanne Wavra 9; Amanda Johnson 10
592 Parliamentary Procedure Concepts Roxanne Wavra 10
305 PC Servicing and Troubleshooting Amie Hughes 3; Ryan Evers 7
593 Project Management Concepts Roxanne Wavra 8
315 Systems Administration using Cisco Amie Hughes 1; Ryan Evers 2
920 Trading Pin Amanda Johnson 2
Pipestone Campus
Contest # Contest Name Name Rank
290 Administrative Support Concepts Shawn Stamper 1
520 Advanced Interview Skills Shawn Stamper 1
590 Business Meeting Mgmt Concepts Shawn Stamper 3
300 Computer Network Technology Shawn Stamper 2; Noah Johnson 6
Spencer Schwartz 8
390 Computer Programming Concepts Shawn Stamper 2; Noah Johnson 6
320 Computer Security Shawn Stamper 1; Noah Johnson 5; Spencer Schwartz 7; Stacy Duscher 10
530 Contemporary Issues Isaiah Moengen 2
490 Digital Communication Concepts Shawn Stamper 2; Allyson Jensen 9
594 Digital Marketing Concepts Shawn Stamper 7
190 Financial Math Concepts Shawn Stamper 1
270 Diagnostic Coding Allyson Jensen 10
391 Information Technology Concepts Shawn Stamper 1; Noah Johnson 3; Spencer Schwartz 6
515 Interview Skills Isaiah Moengen 2
591 Management/Marketing/HR Concepts Shawn Stamper 2; Isaiah Moengen 6
310 Network Admin using Microsoft Shawn Stamper 2; Noah Johnson 6; Spencer Schwartz 8
325 Network Design Team Stacy Duscher 1; Shawn Stamper 1; Spencer Schwartz 1; Noah Johnson 1
592 Parliamentary Procedure Concepts Shawn Stamper 4; Allyson Jensen 7; Noah Johnson 8
305 PC Servicing and Troubleshooting Shawn Stamper 1; Noah Johnson 2; Spencer Schwartz 8
593 Project Management Concepts Shawn Stamper 3; Isaiah Moengen 4; Noah Johnson 10
315 Systems Administration using Cisco Noah Johnson 3; Shawn Stamper 4; Spencer Schwartz 9
920 Trading Pin Allyson Jensen 3
Campus News
Military Friendly School 2019
2/5/19
Minnesota West Community & Technical College was named a Military Friendly School by VIQTRY and is ranked second in the nation among small community colleges.
According to VIQTRY, the Military Friendly® Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations. Institutions earning the Military Friendly ® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. This year 766 schools earned this prestigious designation.
For a complete list of schools recognized as Military Friendly Schools visit http://www.militaryfriendly.com/schools.
For more information contact us at www.mnwest.edu or 800-658-2330.
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