The field of health informatics is diverse and rewarding. Such jobs include opportunities to manage medical databases and maintain records on a secure network. Medical records, histories, treatments, prescriptions, locations, doctors, insurance policies, and educational programs are all important aspects of health informatics.
Types of Health Informatics Jobs
There are three basic types of jobs in health informatics.
1. Clinical informatics: Help physicians review patient information to enable doctors to understand a patient's health history and concerns. Design databases that help doctors effectively diagnose and treat illnesses.
2. Nursing informatics: Create the framework in which nurses can perform necessary data entry tasks. Manage large amounts of information so that nurses can easily notice trends and have greater confidence in their decisions.
3. Pharmacy informatics: Share information between physicians and pharmacies. Ensure that the pharmacy receives the right prescription for each patient.
Within this industry, employees are hired to perform part-time and full-time tasks. Swing shifts are common. Health informatics workers spend a great deal of time in front of computers and at a desk. Regular office skills such as writing, typing, and data entry are essential.
Health Informatics Salary and Job Prospects
The average salary for health informatics is $43,600 per year. Peak pay is just over $100,000 annually. On top of the great pay, the industry is progressing at a fast pace. As electronic medical records become more widespread, this field will continue to grow. Since the field represents a combination of computer skills and medical knowledge, health informatics workers are unusually qualified to help the industry progress. Federal regulations now require medical records to be electronic. Thus, the industry is expected to create 78,000 new jobs over the next decade. Those with notable logical skills and an affinity for technology are sure to excel.
Education and Training in Health Informatics
A bachelor's degree in information technology or database management and a master's degree in health information management will greatly help qualify a candidate for a job in health informatics. However, medical knowledge is also important to help employees understand their work. In addition, health informatics specialists need to be comfortable interacting with a wide variety of people. Interpersonal communication is an integral part of getting the job done.
Health informatics specialists are becoming more important to the medical industry than ever before. They help bring healthcare into the future by equipping doctors, nurses, and pharmacies with computer software and databases that can often act as a second opinion, helping healthcare professionals provide the best care to every patient.
