Steven Freeman, an upcoming 2018 graduate of the Collat School of Business’ online Master of Science in Management Information Systems program with a concentration in IT Management, currently serves as an IMPACT Pharmacist for Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Alabama. IMPACT stands for “Improving Patient Care through Technology” and is the project name for Tenet Healthcare’s strategic plan to convert all of its hospitals and ambulatory care sites to the electronic health records and computerized provider order entry system Cerner Millennium.
Upon entering UAB’s online MS MIS program, Steven’s goal was to gain knowledge in business strategies and management practices in information technology to prepare for senior leadership roles in healthcare IT.
“My desire is to build a healthcare IT company with solutions to address unmet needs in the healthcare market,” he said.
UAB’s MS MIS online experience
Steven’s online experience with UAB has been rewarding. “I’ve appreciated the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experiences facilitated through organized discussions,” he said. “All of the professors were responsive when I engaged them, and many of their lectures were effective at providing clarity to vague concepts in the textbooks.”
When asked about balancing the demands of study with his everyday life, Steven responded, “I try to keep a daily routine. After working 10 hours on weekdays, I come home and spend 2 ½ hours with my wife and children eating dinner, going over homework with my two daughters, and reading to my preschool son. Next, I take a one-hour nap and then study, complete homework, and submit quizzes for the next four hours. Weekends are reserved for studying for about eight hours daily, completing tasks at home, and participating in community service activities.”
Real-world application
After graduation on August 10th, he plans to become involved in strategic or tactical planning. Project planning skills that he learned throughout the program have been an instrumental addition to his current position.
When asked how the program helped him prepare for the future, Steven responded, “Technology is rapidly changing the delivery of healthcare services as the public demands safe, affordable, and effective medical care. Currently patient safety is primarily focused on error prevention, but as technology improves and helps reduce the risk of errors, threats to health information security will rise in prevalence. Also, predictive analytics will establish a major role in providing affordable and effective medical care. Knowledge of advances in information systems and technology gained through the MS MIS program has afforded me foresight into opportunities for health IT.”
University of Alabama at Birmingham online Master of Science in Management Information Systems program
UAB is proud to offer a 100% online information systems degree in an asynchronous learning environment that allows all qualified students to pursue their desired program. By choosing a program with respected, knowledgeable faculty, accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and the option to learn and complete coursework whenever it’s convenient, students have a flexible and powerful partner for their educational journey.
You can study with a custom curriculum designed by an advisory council of IT professionals and with a school that is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency.