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CYNDI SZYMANSKI

M.S. HEALTH CARE

INFORMATICS

Seasoned Health Care IT Professional Earns Full-ride Master
of Health Care Informatics Scholarship

Cyndi Szymanski started her career in information technology in the health
care industry in the 1980s—at a time when computers were a novel tool
used by only a few industries and electronic medical records weren’t even
a consideration for health care organizations. “I basically started in the
data center of a local hospital, and I really enjoyed it a lot,” says Cyndi, a
Chicago native. Eventually Cyndi transitioned from networking and data
management to the application side of IT.

“Health care changes by the week. To further my career, more education
is important,” says Cyndi Szymanski, MHCI student at American Sentinel
University.

From 1991 to 2007, Cyndi worked for Advocate Health Care, the largest
integrated health system in Illinois and one of the nation’s top 10 systems.
She worked her way up to field senior analyst. Although she had built
a great resume and gained excellent experience, a bachelor’s degree
was becoming a must-have. So, in 2006, Cyndi returned to school to
earn a degree in information technology and project management from
American Intercontinental University—an entirely online program. Her
timing was right, too. In 2007, her company laid off most of her department.
A Big Move

After consulting for a while—training nurses, physicians and other patient
care professionals on a commonly used order entry system—Cyndi
relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2010. She joined IASIS Healthcare
as a clinical application support administrator, a job in which she designs
and implements operational and technical support for clinical applications
and is currently busy upgrading all IASIS facilities’ systems. “I build, I
implement, I travel to support our various locations, and I really enjoy the
people I work with,” says Cyndi.

www.americansentinel.edu

8 | Transforming Healthcare Through Education