Get to Know ONCO: Karen Armstrong, RHIT, CTR, Senior Product Support Specialist

ONCO > Get to Know ONCO: Karen Armstrong, RHIT, CTR, Senior Product Support Specialist

Next up in our Get to Know Series we would like to introduce one of our Senior Product Support Specialists for ONCO, Karen Armstrong.

We sat down with Karen to discuss her experience, and her individual role within the company and part of the ONCO Team.

We value our employees highly at ONCO. Join us as we continue to share our employees experiences through our Get to Know series.

Q: What is your Current Role at ONCO?

KA: My current role is “Senior Product Support Specialist”. I think that really just means that I am old! 🙂 I am starting my 13th year at ONCO so I have seen a lot in Registry Support. It is challenging, hard, exasperating at times, but still I learn something new usually every day and am happy that I made that decision so long ago!

Q: What were your previous roles and experiences?

KA: Prior to coming to ONCO, I worked at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, MS for eighteen years as the Cancer Registry Supervisor. Regular Registry functions were the “norm” but my favorite was running any type of report.

Q: How did you get into this industry?

KA: I worked in the Medical Records Department at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson as a File Clerk, pulling records (hard copy!) for departments throughout the hospital.  The Cancer Registry was one that I spent most of the time on and one of the Registrars pulled me aside one day and asked if I was looking for another job.  The rest is history!  I transferred to the Registry, then she showed me charts and how to abstract and I was HOOKED!  I started taking classes at our local College while working and completed my RHIT then accepted a full-time position as a Registrar at MBMC.  Fate, I tell you!

Q: Why did you choose ONCO?

KA: I used the software daily in the hospital and I pushed it as hard as I could.  I just couldn’t break it.  I attended the User Group meetings at NCRA where I met many ONCO staff members.  One of those reached out to me and here I am! 

Q: What is your favorite feature in ONCOLog?

KA: Ad-Hoc Reports.  Hands down!  I love the flexibility of creating your own filter and list for one-time use or weekly reporting!  The ability to be able to create a very detailed filter to pull out ANY data that is collected in ONCO just makes my heart skip.  And then to drill down with any kind of list you want just ends perfectly!  You can create cross-tabulation charts, graphs based on incidence, etc.  The more complicated, the better it is!

Q: On a personal note, what is your favorite hobby? 

KA: I am a reader.  Shocking, right?  What Registrar doesn’t like to read?  Second “favorite” is painting.  I don’t do a great job at it, but I have fun and that is what matters in the end, right?