Tiffany McKibbon

My son is my inspiration to keep going. I want him to see that you can do it."

Tiffany McKibbon is graduating from TCC’s Health Information Management (HIM) Bachelor of Applied Science program this spring. In the fall, she’ll begin the Masters of Legal Studies in Compliance and Risk Management at Seattle University. After that, she may enter a Juris Doctorate program.

Health information management isn’t normally the starting point for aspiring lawyers, but the pathway to Chief Compliance Officer, which deals with legal issues around health data, is right there on the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)’s career map.

“It’s a new pathway, because HIM itself is still pretty new,” explained McKibbon.

As a single parent who worked full time while completing the HIM program, McKibbon appreciated the flexibility offered by the program’s fully online delivery. Fortunately for her, the Masters of Legal Studies program she’s entering is Seattle University’s first fully online program.

McKibbon’s background includes work in health care as a rehabilitation aid. She has a pre-nursing degree and spent time in the military. She originally entered TCC’s Health Information Technology program, which results in an Associate of Applied Science degree, but applied for the HIM program when she realized she had all the prerequisites necessary for acceptance.

“I feel that the program directors and all the professors in the program were so supportive,” said McKibbon. “I don’t think I could ask for better. And then instructor Kim Lee – I don’t know what to say about her, she’s just an amazing person.”

McKibbon says she hasn’t always had support in her educational journey. She doesn’t have support now, going on to get her master’s degree, but that isn’t going to stop her.

“My son is my inspiration to keep going,” said McKibbon. “I want him to see that you can do it.”