Oregon Tech emphasizes hands-on projects to provide students with “real” experiences they will encounter in the workplace. In keeping with this spirit, health care management and health informatics students were recently given a “real” business challenge to solve.
George Olson, the chief operations officer at Klamath Health Partnership (KHP), sought help designing a dashboard that would make accessing patient data more retrievable, usable and reliable. Associate professor Jeff Dickson turned the challenge into a class project. “This is what our health care and health informatics students will be undertaking in the field, so it is important they get the experience—here—while under guidance and instruction from faculty who have specialized experience in the health care industry,” explained Dickson.
KHP had previously worked with other companies to help solve the problem, but after several attempts, they turned to Oregon Tech for assistance. “The students took a mountain of a problem, broke it down to a single quality initiative, and built a foundation for us to replicate in the future,” explained Olson when reflecting on the dashboard students created for KHP. “Other organizations we have worked with failed repeatedly to produce over the past year what Jeff Dickson’s students created in 8-12 weeks.”
When discussing the impact the dashboard will have on patient care, Olson explained that it will become a vital tool for how KHP communicates with patients, providers and external organizations.
Klamath Health Partnership has been serving the Klamath Basin since 1997 and currently provides care at Klamath Open Door Family Practice, Chiloquin Open Door Family Practice and at their recent opening of the Convenient Care Clinic off Campus Drive and across from the Sky Lakes Emergency Room.
When asked to describe his experience working with Oregon Tech faculty and students, Olson replied, “I am so impressed with students and faculty. Their projects and passion are not ‘fluff’ projects. They have real impact and meaning to the future in their careers.”
“We are always looking to form relationships with new partners, so we invite other organizations to seek our help,” commented Dickson. “This project exemplifies why students choose our degrees at Oregon Tech—we provide hands-on experiences—and industry knows that our graduates are ready to hit the ground running.”
Health Informatics is the rapidly developing scientific field that utilizes computer technology to improve the quality and safety of patient care. This degree is designed for those who love working with computers and using technology and information to solve business problems.
For more information regarding the projects or to inquire about how the Health Informatics Program or Health Care Management Program can assist your organization, contact Jeff Dickson at 541-885-1857 or jeff.dickson@oit.edu.
