What Is an Online Master's in Healthcare Informatics Degree?
Health informatics graduate programs typically use an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating fundamental components of health informatics, health sciences, and information technology alongside business and management principles.
Programs typically include courses in medical information systems security, data architecture and modeling, healthcare information systems, legal issues in health medical informatics, and health data and electronic health records. Some programs also offer specializations, such as clinical informatics or health administration informatics.
Choosing an Online Program
Before enrolling in an online master's in health informatics, consider factors like cost, curriculum, and formatting. Visit the link below for more program selection tips.
What Else Can I Expect From a Master's in Healthcare Informatics Program?
A health informatics online degree develops competencies in electronic data technologies, risk assessment and telehealth, systems analysis and design, and healthcare software. Students also explore epidemiology, law and ethics, and project design. Many programs also require a final research project capstone.
Master's in Healthcare Informatics Curriculum
Students in this course explore the practical applications of descriptive and inferential statistics as they are used in healthcare settings. Learners analyze data to formulate a data procurement plan. Students also learn how to distribute published health research data and apply new knowledge within the industry.
In this course, students learn about infectious diseases and epidemiology's scope and practice. Topics include epidemiological history and vocabulary, disease surveillance strategies, laboratory diagnosis, molecular epidemiology, and assessment of vaccine field effectiveness.
This course emphasizes privacy, data security, and the confidentiality of health information. Students focus on information technology and management, including topics like information security, risk management, and data integrity and validity.
Healthcare Informatics Certifications and Licenses
Professionals with a master's degree in health informatics may earn the registered health informatics administrator (RHIA) certification. Offered by the American Health Information Management Association, this certification provides health informatics professionals with a recognized stamp of excellence, which can help in pursuing or advancing their careers.
Healthcare Informatics Careers
An online master's in health informatics prepares graduates for advanced careers in the healthcare field. They may find work in clinical settings or as healthcare administrators or information research scientists. Graduates can also find work at government agencies, nonprofits, and private insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
| Median Salary (2019): $100,980 |
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029): 18% |
Medical and health services managers, also known as healthcare administrators, help plan, direct, and coordinate health services. Administrators may oversee an entire medical facility or a specific clinical department. Tasks include developing goals and objectives, recruiting and training staff, managing finances, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.
At minimum, a bachelor's degree is required to enter this field, although master's degrees are common. Employers often prefer candidates with prior work experience in a healthcare facility.
| Median Salary (2019): $40,350 |
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029): 11% |
Medical records and health information technicians organize and manage electronic and hardcopy health information data, ensuring accuracy, accessibility, and security. Tasks include reviewing patient records, using classification software to assign clinical codes, and maintaining data for clinical databases.
Entry-level health information technicians need a postsecondary certificate or associate degree. Employers may require additional certification, such as a registered health information technician credential. With a bachelor's or master's degree in health informatics, technicians may advance to managerial positions.
| Median Salary (2019): $122,840 |
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029): 16% |
Computer and information research scientists invent, design, and implement innovative uses for computing technology, solving complex problems in science and medicine. Tasks include developing theories to address fundamental issues; creating new computing languages, tools, and methods; and executing experiments to test new software systems.
These professionals typically hold a master's degree in computer science or a related field. A health informatics master's degree prepares graduates to tackle the specialized technology challenges found in the healthcare field.
Healthcare Informatics Professional Organizations
Professional organizations are a great way for health informatics professionals to network with each other, read the latest research, access career opportunities, and take continuing education courses.
Founded in 1928, AHIMA serves approximately 103,000 health information professionals. The organization offers professional certifications, courses, webinars, conferences, and a virtual lab for experiential learning. Student members can get help planning their education and their job searches.
With the goal of improving the health informatics field through practice, education, and science, AMIA works in five domains: translational bioinformatics, clinical research informatics, clinical informatics, consumer health informatics, and public health informatics. Members have access to an online community, webinars, events, and a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Made up of more than 3,000 nurses and other health informatics professionals, ANIA integrates nursing practice with information science. Members can access an annual conference, regular educational webinars, the Journal of Informatics Nursing, and review courses for certification exams.
