JSU’s PHIT program was recently awarded $300,000 from biotechnology giant, Genetech to improve training for community college students looking for health science careers. JSU’s College of Health Sciences and Central MS, Health Services, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), are helping to launch this degree/career pathway pilot program to train and prepare 18 community college transfer students in Health Information Technology and Electronic Health. It will also help these students take and pass the
Registered Health Information Administrator Certification (RHIA) required for employment in the field. Operating over a 36 month period, the overarching purpose of the program is to identify, select, and recruit transfer students from
three community colleges to create a pathway to graduation.
Genetech is dedicated to pursuing groundbreaking science to discover and develop medicines for people with serious or life threatening diseases. The Bureau of Labor Statistics identified the field of Health Informatic Technology as one of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the country. Growth projections are from 20-30% over the next decade, and 70% of employers currently require this credential. Currently, JSU is the only HBCU with a CEPH-accredited School of Public Health and is the first state-supported institution to receive that recognition.