Gloria Madison HIT Instructor and Program Director

Faculty Spotlight – Gloria Madison

Tell us a little bit about yourself, include professional achievements:

Professionally, I am a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) with a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Administration and a master’s degree in Management Information Systems. I am also a certified health data analyst and a certified healthcare technology specialist with an emphasis in implementation management. I have been teaching for over 20 years at both the associate and baccalaureate degree level. I have over 30 years of health care experience in a variety of roles and settings, which include acute, long term, ambulatory and behavioral health care. I have experience assisting individuals and organizations achieve academic and organizational goals through coaching, project management and education. My occupational experience includes gathering, analyzing and defining business and functional requirements; designing/re-engineering processes, workflows and implementing technology solutions for healthcare systems. However, my true passion is teaching.

Personally, I am a proud Wisconsinite from Milwaukee. I love to read, cook and entertain friends and family.  In recent years I have attempted gardening. The results vary from year to year but I enjoy the process.

What brought you to Moraine Park?

My first introduction to Moraine Park was as a site supervisor for the then, Medical Records Technician (now Health Information Technology).  I was asked to teach the information systems course and loved it.  The full-time instructor position was open and the students asked me to apply and petitioned the campus administrator to hire me.  I chuckled because I thought they were joking but they were quite serious.  I have been at Moraine Park in both a full-time and part-time capacity ever since.

What do you like best about working at MPTC?

There is so much that I love about Moraine Park.  The thing that stands out the most for me is how much everyone – faculty, advisors, admission personnel, deans, administrators… –  genuinely care about our students.  The student focused culture of Moraine Park has a long-standing history.  This is not a flavor of the day or a nouveau organizational initiative.  I see it as who we are and I love it.

I love to teach.  The intrinsic joy I feel when a student progresses through the academic process to graduation can’t be put into words.

Can you tell us about your experience as an educational leader who is a woman of color?

I can say it was a bit interesting when I came to the campus the first day.  Some of my students had little to no personal interaction with a person of color and my experience in a rural environment was limited to the Wisconsin State Fair.   Most of what they “knew’ came from television.  Television’s failure to realistically depict black women as the intelligent, hardworking, loving, kind and multifaceted individuals that we are, has presented a few challenges in the workplace.   Helping my students appreciate the diverse world that we live in, was and continues to be a great experience.  This has not always been easy.  There have been some challenges, questions, issues and unpleasant situations; thankfully the challenges have been the exception and not the rule.  And my students helped me learn a little bit about living in rural Wisconsin.

This experience goes beyond my students to the larger campus community.  One of Dr. King’s often quoted statements is about us being judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.  I truly feel that my colleagues respect me for the skill set I bring to the table.

Any advice for potential students who are considering attending Moraine Park?

Moraine Park is a great school with a wonderful reputation within the employer community.  That is because our students are well supported while they work hard to earn their certificates, diplomas and/or degrees.  From the front-line staff to the President who will present you with your accomplishment at graduation, we will help you throughout the learning process.

Tell us about the HIT program.  What is it all about?

Health Information Technology (HIT) in a nutshell is the management of healthcare data.  HIT combines business, science and information technology to the acquisition, analysis, and protection of healthcare data in any format.  An associate degree in HIT is the second step in the career pathway that begins with medical coding.  HIT is included in US News’ list of the 100 best jobs.  Moraine Park’s graduates perform well on the national certification exam with a very long history of a 100% pass rate. Moraine Park’s HIT program is offered entirely online.  This has allowed me to spread my wings a bit and learn to teach differently.  HIT was one of the first programs to make the transition from the face-to-face classroom to the online classroom due in large part to student demand.  This customer responsiveness has led to the program’s current and continued success.

Click here to learn more about the HIT program.