The future of the healthcare IT industry is in the hands of professionals who can leverage technology and informatics to make meaningful change in the lives of patients and healthcare organizations. USF Health student Samantha Foreman has always felt a connection to technology and healthcare and recently discovered a path to intertwine the two.
Foreman is part of the M.S. in Health Informatics degree program from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and plans to graduate in summer 2025. “My family has been my biggest supporter. I’m part of a large family, and I’m the first one to get my master’s. My mom cheers me on and encourages me to keep going.”
She also has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Towson University and is currently working as a registered nurse.
She looks forward to continuing to advance academically and develop skills she’s passionate about. “I’ve always loved technology, I was coding in the 6th grade,” says Foreman. “As I got further into my nursing career, I wanted to go back to school, but wasn’t sure what for. I knew I had a love for technology and nursing and wanted to see how I could combine the two. That’s how I came to be interested in informatics.”
Why USF Health?
To further her professional development and gain the tools to achieve her academic and career goals, Foreman desired to find a school and program that met her academic expectations and gave her the knowledge to make an impact in her role.
“My biggest motivation is wanting to change and improve workflows and learn what can be done to help nurses day-to-day. Working in a trauma center, there are so many processes that take up a lot of time. I spend so much time documenting rather than taking care of patients. If I can be behind the line making a larger difference with technology, that would make me feel so fulfilled,” she says.
The graduate program’s accolades, reputation and faculty expertise were some of the factors Foreman identified as reasons she ultimately chose USF Health’s M.S. in Health Informatics program.
“My representative was so involved – the breadth of information Kadeen provided set apart the experience from other schools,” says Foreman. “She provided statistics to compare my options, and I was presented with a ton of resources and notable achievements about this program that stood out, including it being ranked #1 by Value Colleges for the Top 50 Health Informatics Master’s Degrees in the United States. The communication was great and made USF Health my top choice.”
Foreman indicated the biggest differentiator that led her to choose USF Health was the school’s status as a HIMSS Approved Education Partner (AEP).
“One of the biggest things for me was, no matter where I go, [the school] needed to be a HIMSS AEP.”
As arguably the biggest thought leader in the field of health informatics, Foreman recognizes that USF Health’s partnership with HIMSS gave her the best chance to get her foot in the door and feel prepared for the future of health informatics when she graduates.
HIMSS24, For the Future
It’s also through USF Health that Foreman was presented with an opportunity to integrate herself into the healthcare tech community and the biggest, annual health IT convention in the country.
Foreman was selected to attend the HIMSS24 conference in Orlando, FL as a Program Assistant, an on-site operational role offering support to conference functions while leveraging networking opportunities the event provides. She’s excited to connect with experts within the health informatics space and plans to attend events including the popular Emerging Healthcare Leaders Reception, Celebration of Black Excellence Reception and Women in HIT Networking session.
“It’s funny how I was so set on attending a HIMSS AEP school, and now I’m attending [HIMSS] as a Program Assistant. It’s a full circle moment. I chose USF Health because I’m invested in my education, and enrolling in this program has extended me an exciting opportunity to attend.”
The annual HIMSS conference brings together health informatics and technology policy makers, vendors, leaders, instructors and students for networking, career development and discussion about the healthcare industry’s biggest issues and opportunities for the future of healthcare tech.
USF Health will be attending HIMSS24 and will be in Lobby B on the Professional Development Campus, PD21.
