University of Pittsburgh student Cassie Klocek always knew she wanted to be a physician assistant (PA) ever since her aunt, who had been one for several years, demonstrated it as an ideal career path. However, she did not expect that her journey to become one would begin with health informatics. As she learned, the undergraduate degree is increasingly becoming a draw to pre-health students looking for a unique background to strengthen their preparation for graduate school, and even the Health Informatics master’s degree program attracts professionals already in established health care careers.
Discovering the Pitt Health Informatics Program
When looking through undergraduate programs at Pitt, Klocek was intrigued by the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics program, as it would offer her health care experience from an entirely different perspective than she was used to. Now a senior in the program, Klocek aims to merge both fields for a well-rounded career.
“In high school and college, I had some interest in programming, and I wanted to focus on science but from a different angle and focus more on health care,” Klocek said. “I liked the unique perspective a bachelor’s degree in health informatics gave me of the health care field compared to traditional pathways that are taken by pre-physician assistant students.”
The program is an intersection of health care, business and technology with courses in privacy and security, data visualization, medical coding and quality management. The versatility of the program encouraged Klocek to apply.
“There are a lot of opportunities and flexibility within the major and in the field,” Klocek said. “You can do something health care-based like how I want to, or you can do business and IT. It doesn’t put you in a box.”
While health informatics is not the traditional starting point for individuals interested in PA school, Klocek stressed that it should not be overlooked.
“Being pre-health like me, it’s not talked about much as an option, but it’s a great foundation to have,” Klocek said. “It gives you such a unique perspective on health care.”
Experience in the Health Informatics program
Many students enter the program through the Foundations of Health Informatics and Information Management course, which is open to all Pitt undergraduate students. Though Klocek was unable to take the course, she stressed that it is a great opportunity to gain awareness of the field early in your academic career. During her junior year, Klocek entered the program, and was immediately exposed to the benefits of the health informatics field.
“The undergraduate program curriculum features courses that explore how hospitals and health care systems operate from a technological and administrative side,” Klocek said. “This is very unique as hospitals are typically viewed from a clinical standpoint. You don’t really get that exposure in anything else except this.”
The health informatics curriculum also set Klocek up well for her pursuit of becoming a PA.
“The clinical science class was super helpful,” Klocek said. “I did most of my prerequisites
in my first and second years, so this was definitely a good refresher on pharmacology and medical terminology. And in general, the business and project management classes are really helpful for soft skills needed for patient interaction as a PA.”
Aside from the coursework, Klocek said a benefit of the major is the relationships built between peers and faculty who have real world experience in the field, particularly Assistant Professor Kim Peterson.
“Kim Peterson is one of the most influential professors I’ve ever had,” Klocek said. “I did my capstone with her, and she’s taught a lot of our classes and she’s always super positive and helpful. She always has a smile on her face and will make you feel better about any questions or concerns you may have.”
Internship Experience
During their time in the program, Health Informatics undergraduate students must complete a three-credit internship that furthers their understanding of the course material through field experience.
Klocek obtained an internship in December of her junior year, working remotely for Viatris, a health care company that merges Mylan and Pfzier pharmaceuticals, as a clinical document specialist intern.
Klocek said her coursework experience helped during her internship, and the information she learned from her internship translated well into the remainder of her courses.
“Many skills from our classwork translated directly to my internship work such as understanding quality metrics as well as clinical documentation improvement,” Klocek said.
Becoming a Physician Assistant with a Health Informatics Foundation
With health informatics as a successful starting point for Klocek, she will bring the skills she has acquired in the program with her as she transitions to PA school. For the past three years, she has worked at UPMC Montefiore as a patient care technician, where she has been able to care for patients directly. Klocek’s passion for one-on-one patient care fueled her desire to become a physician assistant.
“I like the patient interaction side of health care a lot and interacting with doctors and other health care people,” Klocek said. “Physician assistants can work in nearly every health care specialty, with primary care and family medicine representing a significant portion. Clinical coding and billing are common in these areas, and having background knowledge in these practices can make transitioning to a PA role in these fields much smoother.”
Upon graduation in May, Klocek will take a gap year and continue her work at UPMC. She will apply to PA school in April and intends to apply to SHRS’ very own Physician Assistant Studies program. Beyond PA school, Klocek hopes to construct a career for herself that combines her love for both the physician assistant and health informatics fields.
“I’d like to work as a PA for a couple of years, but further down the line in my career, I would love to be able to do something in clinical leadership where I could work between the PA and health informatics teams,” Klocek said.
Recommending Health Informatics as a Launching Point
To other students who may be in a similar position, Klocek urges that no matter where you see yourself in health care, health informatics is a path worth exploring.
“A lot of people know that they don’t want to do something clinical, but they don’t feel like they have another health care option,” Klocek said. “Then, when they found health informatics, it was exactly what they were looking for. People get to find their niche within health informatics and find their spot in health care in a different way than they originally thought.”
Peterson shared that Klocek’s start in health informatics is a valuable launching point for fulfilling careers in all facets of health care.
“Cassie’s decision to merge the science of health care technology with clinical medicine will prove to be very successful as she furthers her experience in the health care arena,” Peterson said. “I am so proud of the work she has done and know that the skills she has obtained will help her tremendously in her career.”
