Commencement Ceremonies Celebrate Respiratory Therapy and Health Information Technology Classes of 2021

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) and the Allied Health Sciences department celebrated the Respiratory Therapy Class of 2021 on June 16, and the Health Information Technology Class of 2021 on June 17 — both with in-person commencement celebrations in Theatre II on BMCC’s main campus at 199 Chambers Street.

The Respiratory Therapy graduates are Kofi Amoako, Steve Bonsu, Ken Chen, Naika Clavin, John Paul A. Diamante, Walter P. Fonrose, Lonnie Nicholas Hinton, Huiying Huang, Remon N. Ibrahim, Mst Noor Jalee, Kateryna Khymych, Guerson Lucilien, Elizabeth Marsh, Dale B. McTee, Shaun A. Morris, Sadia Noor, Genesis C. Pena, Vanita Persaud, Marie C. Pierre Charles, Carl Henry Pierre, Rose Mirna, Danny Point-Du-Jour, Michael Yip and Simon Zhilo.

To view the livestreamed RT commencement visit here.

The Health Information Technology graduates are Amanda Balram, Shenelle Ineke Barrow, Joel M. Cartiglia, Rachel Meihong Chen, Thomas Cruz, Imani S. Davis, Emily Faustino, Wenying Feng, Jyoti Grover, Xiabing Huang, Nadia C. Hunt-Guzman, Yanmei Liang, Chantel Nieve,s Geneva M. Quinland, Dominique Rojas, Sibonne Sinckler, Yvette Soares, Dominique Tarpley, Antoinette Taylor, Jennyfer Vazquez and Nikisha Wilson.

To view the livestreamed HIT commencement visit here.

Respiratory therapist graduates will play a vital role in the hospital setting

Opportunities abound for the graduates of these rigorous Allied Health Sciences programs. At the Respiratory Therapist commencement on June 16, BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe told the future respiratory therapists that they will play a vital role in every hospital setting.

“As it has been said, ‘Without breath, there is no life,’’ said President Munroe. “This is why respiratory therapists are among the first clinicians at a patient’s bedside during emergency health situations. From helping a premature baby breathe to saving the life of a patient suffering cardiac arrest — RTs are close by to share their life-saving knowledge and skills.”

When COVID-19 surfaced, the role of the respiratory therapist took on a new urgency, and President Munroe acknowledged how these health care professionals “worked side by side on the front lines and helped to rapidly adapt treatments to the frequent changes and challenges of this life-threatening virus … It’s now your turn to follow this path that leads to saving lives and making out world a better place.”

Other speakers at the Respiratory Therapy commencement included Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Erwin Wong, RT graduate Kateryna Khymych, RT Professor Michael Nazzaro and Allied Health Sciences Chair/RT Program Director Everett Flannery.

In addition to fulfilling course requirements, the Respiratory Therapy graduates completed two professional practice experiences at participating health care facilities.

These BMCC partners who provided valuable experience to the Respiratory Therapy Class of 2021 include Lenox Hill Hospital, Jamaica Hospital, Flushing Hospital Center, Jacobi Hospital, Coney Island Hospital, Harlem  Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, Mount Sinai West Hospital, Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital, Kings County Hospital, New York Methodist Hospital, Queens Hospital, Albert Einstein Hospital, James J. Peters Bronx VA Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital of Manhattan, Mount Sinai Hospital of Brooklyn, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Montefiore Hospital, New York Harbor Hospital of Manhattan and the Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens.

HIT graduates evolve as individuals as well as health information management professionals

On June 17, President Munroe congratulated the Health Information Technology graduates on their dynamic career choice.“A career in Health Information Technology is one of the fastest-growing opportunities available today,” said President Munroe. “As more healthcare organizations transition from written documentation to electronic systems, medical technicians require more specialized responsibility in training. This is where you come in!”

BMCC’s Health Information Technology majors learn the fundamentals in technology and healthcare that are required to jumpstart a career as a health information technician or as a healthcare data analyst, medical coding specialist or compliance officer, President Munroe pointed out.

“You will be helping people,” he said. “Although you may be in the background, your influence will be noticed to each patient based on the importance of the data and technology you supply to healthcare workers who are responsible for patient care.”

Other speakers at the HIT commencement celebration included Provost and Senior Vice President Erwin Wong, Interim Health Information Technology Program Director Lynda Carlson, HIT Professor Cheryl Christopher and Allied Health Sciences Chair Everett Flannery.

Preceptors and their staff who enabled the HIT Class of 2021 to complete their required internships included Barbara Forrester, Creedmoor Psychiatric Center; Ramel McIntosh, Greater New York Hospital Association; Giovanni Morton, Maimonides Medical Center and Media Oliver, Queens Medical Center.

BMCC alumni of the HIT program who were preceptors for the HIT Class of 2021 are Patricia Allotey, Kirby Forensics Psychiatric Center and Annette Griffith, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center.

“You never know what you’re capable of achieving until you try,” said Interim Health Information Technology Program Director and Professor Lynda Carlson in her remarks to the graduating class. “You completed all of the assignments while working, maintaining your homes, taking care of children and parents, attending classes, experiencing personal challenges with relationships and health, and completing an internship.”

Dr. Carlson also reminded the graduates that their accomplishment is part of a process, the beginning of their growth as HIT professionals.

“For those of you who are earning your first degree, remember this is your first degree and you must continue your education,” she said. “For those of you that are earning a second degree, start planning where you will earn your graduate degree. Plan to continue your education next semester — even if it means taking one class, you are still working toward your goals. As you evolve as an individual you need to evolve as a health information management professional.”

Respiratory Therapy and Health Information Technology graduates benefit from transfer and career opportunities

In the Health Information Technology Class of 2021, 21 graduates earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree.

Since the BMCC Health Information Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), graduates are also eligible to take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT®), which gives them a decided edge in the job market.

“The RHIT is one of the credentials that NYC hospitals are definitely looking for when hiring Health Information Management (HIM) professionals,” says Dr. Carlson. “The College’s highly motivated Health Information Technology students set a high bar for success. In the class of 2020, 81% of BMCC’s HIT graduates passed the RHIT exam on their first try, and about a third are now pursuing another degree or certification.”

These graduates can enter the fast-growing HIT field or transfer through BMCC’s articulation agreements with a number of CUNY and other colleges and universities, earning bachelor’s degrees in biomedical informatics, professional and technical writing, health services administration, health information management and health sciences.

In the Respiratory Therapy Class of 2021, 24 graduates earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and are eligible are eligible to take the Certification and Registry Examinations given by the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc.

Next steps include entering the high-growth health care field, or transferring through BMCC’s articulation agreements with a number of CUNY and other colleges and universities to earn a bachelor’s degree in health services administration, respiratory care or health sciences.

For more information on the Respiratory Therapy or Health Information Technology programs at BMCC, visit the Allied Health Sciences website, or contact HLT@bmcc.cuny.edu, Debbie Lane at dlane@bmcc.cuny.edu or Juana Rodriguez at jrodriguez@bmcc.cuny.edu.