WEATHER-RELATED ANNOUNCEMENT: The Wadena Advisory Board Dinner has been rescheduled to Monday, April 1; the Moorhead Advisory Board Dinner has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 9. Both events will still begin at 5 p.m.

Joe Bessler

Joe Bessler
Health Information Technology/Coding

I chose M State after researching and contacting many different online colleges that offered an HIT program that would allow me to sit for the AHIMA RHIT and CCS certifications. The fact that M State offered a 100 percent online curriculum and a strong placement rate for its graduates was key to my return to college and completion of my degree. I was a welder for 15 years before I decided to change careers. M State really gave me the tools to perform my coding duties with a high level of skill and confidence. I have been well educated and am now better prepared to go out and start a career in HIM/coding confident that this is the right career path for me. Initially my career plans were to search for any employer who would take on a new coder with little to no experience. After finishing my internship through LifeCare Medical Center in Roseau, I rolled over into a full-time patient access/outpatient coder. I cannot say enough good about LifeCare Medical for allowing me to complete my internship and helping me kick off my career, although none of this would have been possible if not for the HIT program at M State and having such great instructors like Bonnie Peterson and Kim Samuelson.