SBCC offers both an associate degree and a certificate
program in Cancer Information Management (CIM). Both the CIM associate
degree and certificate programs are designed to prepare you for
a career working in hospital-based and population-based
cancer registries. The certificate program is provided for students
who already possess a college degree.
Please note that effective 2010, to be eligible for the national CTR credentialing exam, candidates will need to complete either one of the following two:
1. The CIM AS degree
OR
2. The CIM Certificate plus a minimum of an Associate’s degree in any field (does not need to be health-related).
For more information on CTR exam eligibility, please see http://www.ctrexam.org/eligibility/index.htm#sub4
Cancer registries play an important roll in the fight against cancer. Cancer registration is the basic method by which information about
the incidence, type, extent of disease at time of diagnosis, treatment
methods used and survival of patients with cancer is systematically
collected. Cancer registry professionals are responsible
for
the collection, analysis and dissemination of cancer data. Specific
duties include:
-
Identifying reportable cancer cases.
-
Abstracting patient cancer data from patient records, pathology,
radiology and surgical reports.
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Coding and staging primary site, histology and extent of disease.
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Monitoring timeliness, completeness and accuracy of cancer data.
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Performing cancer patient follow-up activities to identify second
primaries, recurrence and spread of disease.
-
Reporting cancer data to health care officials, hospital administrators,
physicians and regulatory organizations for use in cancer prevention
and control.
-
Assisting medical staff and epidemiologists in special studies
and research.
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Supervising staff.
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Assuring patient privacy and data integrity and security
Career Information
Cancer registry professionals are needed in hospital-based
and central cancer registries throughout California and the United
States. Since the passage of the Cancer Registries Amendment Act
(Public Law 102-515) in 1992, the number of central cancer registries
has increased dramatically. Legislation has been enacted throughout
the country requiring health care facilities and physicians to report
their cancer cases. Due to limited educational opportunities, there
are not enough cancer registry professionals to fill available positions
in this rapidly growing field.
Salary Ranges
$25,000 to $100,000
Online Learning
Courses in the CIM Program are offered totally online. All course content and exams are delivered online. Students interested in pursuing a degree must be highly motivated, independent learners, possessing excellent organizational and time management skills. Students must have email and Internet access. No on-campus attendance is required.
Since these are entirely online programs, students must be familiar with how to use the internet, email, uploading and downloading files, and the use of various common word processing programs.
SBCC’s CIM Programs Mission Statement
SBCC’s CIM programs provide high quality cancer information management education and training to a diverse population of students in order to fill community and employer needs for credentialed CIM professionals.
Accreditation/Certification
The CIM Program is approved by the National Cancer
Registrars Association (NCRA). As a graduate, students are eligible
to apply for writing the national examination for certification
as a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR).
Applying for Admission to the Program
Please go to our website for the instructions on applying to our program: http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/Admissions.html
Prerequisites
For a specific list of CIM Program class pre-requisites, co-requisites and course advisories, please go to: http://www.sbcc.edu/hit/website/prereqs.html
To confirm whether courses from another college are acceptable to meet SBCC's requirements, please
email Dr. Schuyler - schuyler@sbcc.edu to request a transcript evaluation, (include your student ID K#), and then submit transcripts to:
Dr. Gwyer Schuyler
Santa Barbara City College,
721 Cliff Drive,
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Fax: 805-560-0591
Financial Aid
SBCC's financial information is available online at: http://www.sbcc.edu/financialaid or call the office at: (805) 965-0581 x 2417. Advance planning is required to complete the necessary paperwork in short timeframes.
Orientation Session
Once you have registered qnd received confirmation
from Admissions, send an email to onlineHITCIM@sbcc.edu and
provide the HIT/CIM Department with your email address. Logon
and orientation information will then be emailed to you.
During the week prior to class and during the first week of class,
you will complete online orientation exercises designed to familiarize
you
with the
course
and the online
classroom. If you have any problems or difficulties with one or
more of these steps, contact the HIT/CIM Department at onlineHITCIM@sbcc.edu.
Course Registration & Textbooks
Textbooks are available for online order at http://www.sbccbooks.com once you have registered and the online bookstore has opened for the semester.
CIM Associate Degree and Certificate Degrees
Recommended Program of Study
The following reflects the recommended sequence of courses: |
