Welcome to Western PA HIMSS

Dear Western Pennsylvania HIMSS Chapter Members:

We want to welcome you to another year as a member of your local HIMSS chapter. Our board of directors are excited for the 2019-2020 year and we have several educational programs, networking events, and speakers lined up to engage our members. As our chapter continues to grow, we are excited to be able to continue to expand programming and networking opportunities outside of Pittsburgh to get more members involved.

Our programming this year is geared towards nurses, IT professionals, and students. While are events are focused towards these specific audiences, all members are permitted to attend any of our events. We encourage you to attend event that may be a little outside of your comfort area and hope that you can learn something new about healthcare IT.

Please be sure to check out our events calendar for a list of in-person events and webinars that we will be hosting this year.

We look forward to working with our members to network, educate, and discuss healthcare technology. I hope to see you at our upcoming events and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Ryan Brown
President, Western PA HIMSS

Why Join WPA HIMSS:

If you are interested in furthering your career, joining WPA HIMSS is a good start. WPA HIMSS is the regional chapter of the much larger HIMSS national chapter. WPA HIMSS is a synergistic group, meaning that the effect of a collection of people is greater than just one person. So, how exactly can becoming part of this synergistic group help further your professional goals? Here are some benefits of joining an association.

Enhance your HIT professional network:

For most people, creating professional relationships is important, and joining a group allows you to have a sense of security and trust. From this, you are able to support and help one another in reaching your professional goals. WPA HIMSS sponsors numerous events throughout the year that allow you to connect with your peers. Since WPA HIMSS and HIMSS have national or local conferences, you can participate and have the opportunity to learn about breaking news in your career, learn "best practices" or new ideas, hear about key achievers in your field and also meet and brainstorm with others who are also looking to share and learn new information. Another benefit of enhancing your network is that you may find a mentor to help you with your professional needs or you may be in a position to become a mentor to someone else. Giving back can be the greatest reward and benefit. Participating in WPA HIMSS is a great way to grow your network. This allows you to use your peers as sounding boards and often make some great friends with the same interests as you.

Broaden your HIT knowledge:

HIMSS provides an enormous amount of access to resource information such as; case studies, articles, white papers and books written by experts in your field or area of interest. Another reason to join WPA HIMSS is to learn more or stay informed about issues in Healthcare IT. Additionally, WPA HIMSS provides a source for scholarship information, links to publications, and awards for persons achieving excellence in their Healthcare IT. No matter what area of HIT you are in, staying on top of all of these issues is important.

So, whether you are looking to learn about job postings, network in your professional community, gain access to current events, or just have some fun while meeting new people, joining WPA HIMSS is a step in the right direction!