MCC alumna doing her part in fight against cancer
Meridian Community College alumna Cameron Proctor hopes to be doing her part in the fight against cancer as she begins a new journey as a cancer registrar with the Mississippi Cancer Registry.
“Everything we do is for cancer research and this database of information is important in helping to find a cure,” said Proctor, who earned her associate’s degree from MCC’s Health Information Technology program this past May.
Established through funding from the Mississippi Department of Health in 1993, the Mississippi Cancer Registry is administered by the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
As a cancer registrar, Proctor will be working to collect the medical history, diagnosis, treatment and health status for every cancer patient in Mississippi. This compiled data and statistics provide essential information to researchers, physicians and public health officials as they work to advance cancer treatments, conduct research and improve cancer prevention and screening programs.
While the majority of graduates of MCC’s Health Information Technology program decide to work in medical coding, Proctor chose to take a different path.
She loves working with data and statistics, and using those skills toward a meaningful goal is what attracted her to the cancer registry job.
“I have a cousin who had just completed her battle with Stage 4 breast cancer while I was at MCC, so finding a cure for cancer is something I am very passionate about,” Proctor said.
As hospitals and physicians have moved toward digitizing their medical records over the past two decades, the need for health information technicians has skyrocketed.
By having digital records, doctors can more easily access patient records, share them with specialists and researchers, order prescriptions, reduce medical errors and improve patient care.
Accredited since 1979, MCC’s Health Information Technology program trains students in collecting and maintaining patient health information, medical coding, privacy and security, and electronic health records.
“It is a great field for someone who wants to work in healthcare but doesn’t want to do patient care,” said Becky Higginbotham, program coordinator of Health Information Technology and division chair of Health Education. “Individuals who enjoy this field are typically organized and like to pay attention to detail.”
MCC graduates earn a two-year associate’s degree in the program and are eligible to sit for the national Registered Health Information Technician certification exam. The college has excellent pass rates and graduate placement rates, Higginbotham noted. “Our exam pass rate for 2019 graduates was 100%.”
About 90 percent of the students who graduate from the program work in the field of medical coding, but they also can work as cancer registrars, trauma registrars, health information management analysts, privacy and security officers, performance improvement analysts or medical staff credentialing coordinators.
“The variety of positions that graduates are eligible for is a major plus to our Health Information Technology degree program,” said Higginbotham, who as a Registered Health Information Technician worked at local hospitals for more than a decade before she became an instructor in the MCC program 11 years ago.
“Area healthcare facilities rely on MCC to supply skilled, trained individuals to manage health information and code records for reimbursement,” she added.
One of the reasons students are attracted to the MCC program is that the community college offers both a traditional classroom track and an online track which allows it to meet the needs of non-traditional, working students.
Higginbotham said she has watched a lot of professionals come through the program looking for a second career, including registered nurses, teachers and medical laboratory technicians.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, MCC will offer its regular online track but the traditional classroom route will be offered in a hybrid format this fall, she said.
Proctor, who lives in Bailey, highly recommends MCC’s Health Information Technology program for anyone who is interested in working in healthcare but not in one of the traditional roles.
“I knew I did not want to do hands-on patient care, but I still wanted to feel like I was a making difference,” she said. “I feel like I am making a difference as a cancer registrar.”
She said the MCC program was very challenging but that she felt her instructors prepared her for the reality of working in the health information field.
At graduation in May, Proctor was named MCC’s Health Information Technology Student of the Year and was recognized as one of 41 students from the spring graduating class chosen as members of the Circle of Excellence. Graduates are chosen for the Circle of Excellence honor based on their academic achievement, leadership, community service and spirit.
Proctor says she plans to continue working for the Mississippi Cancer Registry but eventually she would like to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Health Systems Administration through UMMC.
Anyone interested in this or other programs offered at MCC, can go to www.meridiancc.edu for more information.