CHIS Spotlight: Sarah Villere

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, Opportunity to participate

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NNLM Region 4 is highlighting Sarah Villere, MLS Graduate Student at the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, for her accomplishment of receiving her Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) certification. Below, Sarah shares a bit about herself and her experience obtaining her CHIS certification through the Consumer Health for Library Students Program. 

Can you give us an elevator speech about your library career and what are your future career goals?

I am a second year MLS graduate student at Emporia State University, expecting to graduate this December with a Health Information Professionals concentration. Prior to pivoting my career toward library and information sciences, I worked for more than 10 years in direct clinical care as a Nurse Practitioner. My goal is to match my nursing background with librarianship to support health professionals and students, as well as patients and their families. While in school, I’ve also been working part-time as a Library Associate at a public library.

How did you hear about the CHIS certification? Describe your experience taking a CHIS-certified course through your LIS/iSchool program.

I heard about the CHIS certification from Dr. Emily Vardell, my professor for a Health Sciences Librarianship course. At the end of the semester, she emailed the class to inform us that we were eligible to receive a CHIS certificate upon completion. It was an added plus to the course, and nice to hear that I had already fulfilled the requirements, all I needed to do was apply.

How has your CHIS certification helped you in your current role or future career goals?

While a lot of knowledge will be obtained through the LIS curriculum, to be better prepared for a future professional role in a health sciences library, I think it’s really important to gain additional skills and competencies beyond what’s taught in the classroom. With that in mind, I’ve tried to make an effort to pursue continuing education and professional development opportunities to try to gain some of those skills. I think it gives you a leg up when you’re applying for a job to be able to say, “I’m engaged in the field already, and here’s the proof of it.” That was one reason why I really wanted to pursue the certification.

It also gave me some ideas about how I can incorporate some consumer health activities into my current job or in a public library setting. One of the projects that I’ve been thinking about starting this coming year is converting one of our study rooms into a telehealth space.  The certification helped me start thinking about ways that I can really bring consumer health to patrons in various library settings.

Describe your experience taking a CHIS-certified course through your LIS/iSchool program.

It was really easy to get my certification. Dr. Vardell sent out an e-mail with the steps on how to apply. It was very simple and straightforward. I think I got my certification within 24 hours, which was a really quick turnaround time. I’m glad that I have it, I think it’s going to be really helpful in the future.

Do you have any advice for LIS/iSchool students looking to earn their CHIS certification?

This is such a unique way to engage with the field before graduating, so my advice is to take advantage of this opportunity! If you are already enrolled in one of the courses that is eligible for the certification, you’ve already put the time and effort in, so make sure to claim what you’ve earned. For those who may not know if they are interested in health sciences librarianship, I would still encourage you to complete this certification. I think it can be a little intimidating of a field to go into if you don’t have that background, but this certification can provide a great introduction.

If you want to learn more about the Consumer Health for Library Students Program, visit nnlm.gov or contact Sam Nunn at sam.nunn@utah.edu.