What Are the Requirements for a Healthcare Informatics Systems Career?

<h3 id="section---IndustryOverview">Industry Overview</h3> <p>As technology advances, healthcare informatics professionals are finding new ways to get the most from digital healthcare information storage and retrieval. This often includes accessing information to aid in decision-making or creating new systems to store patient data. </p> <p>Healthcare information management workers organize, supervise and interpret collected patient and medical data, whereas healthcare informatics workers develop the systems that process this data. The two fields are closely connected, so if you're interested in healthcare informatics systems, you might enjoy a career with either focus. </p> <h3 id="section---ImportantInformationAboutEducationForThisCareerField">Important Information About Education For This Career Field</h3> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td>Degree Levels </td><td>Associate's, bachelor's and master's level</td></tr> <tr><td>Common Courses </td><td>Medical terminology, medical coding, medical informatics, community based health information</td></tr> <tr><td>Online Availability </td><td>Full and hybrid availability</td></tr> <tr><td>Programs</td><td> Internships can be taken to gain real-world experience</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---EducationRequirements">Education Requirements</h3> <p>Earning a degree in healthcare informatics or healthcare information technology is often a good way to enter the field. The type of degree you'll need in order to work in healthcare informatics systems can vary widely. Some positions that fall under the general heading of healthcare informatics, such as healthcare information technician, require only an associate's degree, whereas others, especially those in management, require advanced degrees. </p> <h3 id="section---DatabaseAdministrator">Database Administrator</h3> <p>With a bachelor's degree in healthcare informatics or a related field, such as healthcare information management, you could work as a healthcare database administrator. In this position, sometimes known as a medical database administrator, you would develop ways to maintain and store electronic health records (EHRs). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, <i>www.bls.gov</i>) posted the median salary, as of May 2021, for all database administrators as $96,710. </p> <h3 id="section---SystemsAnalyst">Systems Analyst</h3> <p>As a healthcare or clinical systems analyst, you would work with healthcare professionals to assess their information technology needs, and then find ways to meet these needs through computer systems. To work as a healthcare systems analyst, you will probably need to hold a bachelor's degree in a computing or information management field and have experience with healthcare information technology. As of January 2023, systems analysts earn a median annual wage of $68,828, as reported by <i>PayScale.com</i>. </p> <h3 id="section---SystemsManager">Systems Manager</h3> <p>Healthcare organizations need professionals to oversee their information technology programs, and as a healthcare information systems manager, you would do just that. While you might be able to work as a department manager if you held a bachelor's degree in healthcare informatics, earning a master's degree will make you eligible for high-level managerial or executive positions. Work environments for this position include hospitals, nursing homes, insurance firms, and pharmaceutical companies. <i>PayScale.com</i> reported the median annual wage for information systems managers in January 2023 was $87,791. </p> <h3 id="section---CareerOutlook">Career Outlook</h3> <p>The fields of healthcare informatics and healthcare information technology are growing very quickly. The BLS (<i>www.bls.gov</i>) predicts that the employment of computer systems analysts in general will grow by 9% between 2021 and 2031.</p>