Faculty Spotlight: Cindy Lingerfelt, HCIS Assistant Professor

What excites you most about Health IT?

What I love about Healthcare and Information Technology is that there are so many opportunities to make a difference.  Every day is a challenge as it relates to adapting to changes in the industry which I view as new opportunities to make a positive impact. I truly feel that we are on the cutting edge of what we can do in the HIT industry.

What are employers looking for when hiring for this field?

Aside from good soft-skills with the HIT knowledge and skills needed for this industry. Employers are looking for those with the desire to constantly learn and the flexibility to take on a problem and work toward a common goal on a team.

What are the two most important skills a candidate can have?

Communication is so very important, both verbal and written. Your communication skills are how others perceive you. You truly only get one chance to make that first impression so this skill is key. Additionally, adaptability is also important.  HIT is constantly changing, a candidate whom is able to adapt to change and embrace it with a positive attitude will go far.

What trends do you see or anticipate?

Although we are starting to witness Machine Learning in HIT currently, I anticipate major growth in this field.  Machine Learning could make it possible for virtual care thus expanding access to care especially in rural areas. Machine Learning can also be used in many various ways to assist care providers such as analyzing images, and providing better diagnoses and treatment plans.

Why do you like teaching Health IT?

I love teaching HIT as I truly feel I make a difference. I’m not a care provider, but I am equipping others to be able to provide care providers with tools to make better decisions for their patients.  I look forward to teaching individuals how they can make a positive impact on healthcare and quality of care.

Cindy Lingerfelt is a graduate of Kansas State University.  Cindy spent over 13 years working in the HIT industry at Cerner where she was a Solution Architect in the Laboratory and Radiology space. Cindy then moved into the learning and training area and was responsible for the onboarding of the software engineers. Cindy is now a Professor at Johnson County Community College in the Health Information Systems department where she prepares students for success in the HIT field.