Competency B

Evaluate, manage, and develop electronic records programs and applications in a specific organizational setting.

Introduction and PLO Discussion

More than just a means of collecting and storing data, electronic records programs and applications are integral in forming a solid backbone for any organization that is concerned with having a good handle on their data ecosystem. According to the Association for Intelligent Information Management (n.d.), records management refers to “a set of activities required for systematically controlling the creation, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposition of recorded information maintained as evidence of business activities and transactions.”  With Competency B’s focus centered on designing electronic records programs and applications, I discovered that the main courses that emphasized this particular competency were Electronic Records Foundations and Digital Assets Management.

Electronic Records Management

By selecting a particular industry to focus on (i.e. finance, healthcare, cybersecurity, etc.), students in this course were introduced to foundational principles including data management and data governance and challenged with thought-provoking discussion board prompts to further solidify key principles. In addition to records management, data management and data governance were both highlighted as essential components of successful integration and implementation of any electronic records and data management plan. Data management involves “the practice of collecting, keeping, and using data securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively throughout the entire information lifecycle (The University of Queensland, n.d.).” As for data governance, this term refers to "a set of processes that ensures that data assets are formally managed throughout the enterprise (NIST, n.d.)." The course’s final presentation was a product of students’ responses to each of the discussion board prompts as well as thoughtful and intentional research into one’s particular industry of choice..

Digital Assets Management

TechTarget’s Ben Lutkevich (2023) provides a well-rounded definition of Digital Asset Management as being “a business process for organizing, storing and retrieving rich media [such as photos, music, and videos] and managing digital rights and permissions.” Beyond merely allowing for the organization, storage, and retrieval of rich media, implementation of a DAM system within an organization provides a wealth of benefits including ease of collaboration with others, additional security through access control settings and permissions, version control, and enhanced integration with other software (Lutkevich, 2023). Through a series of discussion board prompts and briefs, students received foundational knowledge of key concepts related to DAM. Two hands-on projects further solidified students’ knowledge and allowed students to explore a career area of interest and exercise their ingenuity and creativity.

Relevant Coursework and Education Goals

The final projects of both of these courses involved formulating proposals for two organizations in different industries. For Electronic Records Foundations, I chose to create my proposal based on Mt. Sinai – Chicago Health, a healthcare system. Since the goal of Project #2 for Digital Assets Management (DAM) was to submit a business proposal of one’s own design, I decided to create a business and put forth a DAM strategy largely inspired by my love of reading and enjoyment of boba. As I have had a long-term fascination with electronic health records and their potential to enhance the workflows of ancillary staff and clinicians alike, becoming an electronic health record analyst is one of my long-term career aspirations that would allow me to further explore the realm of electronic records within the healthcare industry in a more in-depth manner.