There is an old joke, I forget how it goes, or what the punchline was; but, apparently there were these three blind fellows who were trying to describe and elephant based upon what they could feel in front of them. As elephants go, Health Informatics is just such an elephant and may be not only one of the biggest, but it's definition is still not complete even to itself.
In academia, it our duty --
our responsibility -- to produce the relevant training necessary for individuals to be effective in a particular working environment. Health Informatics is a perfect example of our proverbial elephant and it is surrounded by quite a number of blind fellows (myself included) who are groping for a border, an awareness, or a shape to provide us with an understanding of what the rest of that beast must look like.
As a community college instructor, I must seek to define the part of the elephant which is before me. A university instructor will do the same for his/her part. And, a graduate school instructor must likewise do the same for theirs. And like the fellows in the example, each will form their own version of what is the "truth" of the elephant. Each will of course be entirely correct from their perspective; and each will also be entirely wrong. What is different here, is that on our part of the elephant, what we perceive can be appropriate
for that part. And while another would discover something completely different, it, too is completely appropriate
for that part.
In our first encounter with the beast, we discovered that it indeed has a foot. Not surprising since other systems (beasts) we have encountered also have feet. Some feet are different than others, but they are still feet. And while an elephant's foot may be unique in the Animal Kingdom, it is still a foot. Is it reasonable that we can in our capacity define and describe the feet of the beast and still be talking about the beast? Or in opposite words: is it appropriate to say that because you cannot define the whole of the elephant, then you are not allowed to describe the elephant's feet as "elephant feet"? Of course not. Perhaps we do not have a solid grasp on the elephant's hide or head or snout (snout?); however, we do know what the feet are and they are definitely the feet of an elephant.
In the community college, our job, our goal, our duty is to create individuals job ready to work in a particular career. In fact, within the current grant, it is indeed also our mandate. And we are mandated to begin this training by the third week of September -- seven weeks from today. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has provided us with a fantastic start on a definition of HI; and, some of the strongest minds in America are providing input specifically to support us in producing quality training.
It is quite humbling.
And exciting. Consider, how often in a lifetime does one get the chance to encounter a new elephant?
