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Dustin Smith came to UL Lafayette for college because it seemed like the perfect fit.

“I knew that I would be able to succeed here,” he said. “The campus is beautiful, and the professors really care for their students, which — to me — is very important for a student’s success.”

That support from his professors made it easy for him to after he realized nursing, which was his original choice, wasn’t the right one for him. So Dustin started exploring other healthcare degree options.

“After learning of the health information management program, I did some research,” he recalled. “I learned all the different things you could do with a degree in health information management. I knew right away that this was the program that I needed to be in.

“A lot of our responsibility as health information management professionals will revolve around the electronic health record and making sure information is input correctly,” he continued. “I look forward to being a part of a team that helps the medical professionals spot errors and avoid situations that could be detrimental to the patient, staff, and facility.”

Studying Health Information Management at UL Lafayette

Because of the health information management program’s smaller size, Dustin gets to know his classmates and professors better — and they get to know him.

“Due to the size of the health information management program, we get more opportunities to work one-on-one with our professors, and that has helped tremendously,” he said.

“It is refreshing to really be able to know everyone in your class and be able to communicate with each other, which really makes studying for those big exams a lot easier.”

Because of commitment to his classes, Dustin earned the Eddie V. Cooksey Scholarship from the .

Outside of his classes, Dustin is a member of the , which has helped him prepare for life after graduation.

“With the Health Information Management Society, I have managed to really get to know my professors and classmates more, but it does not end there,” he said. “I look forward to meeting other health information management professionals at the conventions that we attend, where we have the opportunity to get our name out there and possibly land a job after graduation from the connections we make now.”

Dustin knows his hard work will pay off. When he graduates with his degree in health information management, he’s planning to at UL Lafayette.

“I honestly never thought that I would enjoy college this much and be as active as I have been,” he said. “It is not easy, and we definitely struggle through some classes, but thanks to our professors, we know that it will all be worth it in the end.”