Health Informatics Degrees

What is health informatics?
The field of Health Informatics deals with the application of information technology in various branches of healthcare and medicine. It involves a number of technologies and techniques for the manipulation, analysis, organization and presentation of information and data related to healthcare. The field of health informatics also extends to dentistry, clinical medicine, pharmacies, patience care, laboratories, and research centers. A health informatics professional focuses on developing medical standards and clinical guidelines and to standardize medical terminology in addition to providing user friendly health information systems. Because of advancements in health informatics, our healthcare system has remarkably improved over the past few decades leading to greater life expectancy and better access to medical facilities for all citizens.

Health Informatics Programs

The origin of health informatics
Nowadays doctors can instantly pull up a patient’s medical history and other relevant information. The origins of the field of health informatics can be traced back to 1949, when Gustav Wagner introduced a basic filing system to store patient information and treatment methods. It wasn’t until computers became more common however, that the field caught on, and became a major part of hospitals around the United States in the 1980s.

What are the pre-requisites?
Due to its specialized nature, the field of health informatics requires serious commitment. If you have excellent communication skills, enjoy working with people and have a generous and compassionate nature, the field of health informatics may be right for you. Students considering a career in health informatics must be high school graduates or have a general equivalency diploma. There are no specific subject requirements, although taking computer classes and first aid training greatly enhances your skills and prepares you to best deal with patients. A large number of universities and community colleges offer health informatics certification programs in addition to Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the field. For students interested in carrying out extensive research in the field, doctoral programs in health informatics are also offered.

What degrees are offered?
The basic four year long Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics includes a wide number of subjects, with courses ranging from microbiology to network management. Students also take courses in areas such as medical law and extensively study various medical terms and clinical procedures in order to become familiar with patient care. After graduating with a degree in health informatics, students can start their careers at entry level positions in hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers and insurance companies. For those who wish to enter the field of healthcare administration, master’s degrees in health informatics are also offered. Among the certifications available for health informatics graduates are the Registered Health Information Administration (RHIA) and the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certifications. The field of health informatics combines together two of the fastest growing fields in the country – IT and healthcare – and as such promises exciting prospects for the future.