FIVE EMPLOYMENT SETTINGS FOR HEALTH INFORMATICS GRADUATES

Health Informatics Employment Settings

• Health Informatics Specialist
• Management and Executive Roles
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Coding and Development
• Nurse Informaticist

Despite the technical nature of the field, there are actually a variety of career paths and different types of health informatics jobs available. Health informatics (HI) professionals develop strategies to integrate and optimize the use of data in healthcare settings. They are expected to have a current, practical understanding of technological developments in their field. Many people pursuing a career in HI seek employment with large healthcare providers or government institutions.

Health Informatics Specialist

Many newcomers to the profession begin their career as a health informatics specialist. This type of health informatics job is common in private and public organizations, including hospitals, clinics and research groups. Job responsibilities for HI specialists often include the collection of information, implementation of new practices and integration of new technology into the environment.

Successful HI professionals seek quality sources of continuing education to stay on top of new technology and practices. This gives them plenty of opportunities to develop further specializations if they want to seek more specific roles that focus on areas of personal interest. A recent report by the CDC highlighted the growing role of HI experts in public health organizations, indicating that there may be increasing demand for the skill-set in future years.

Management and Executive Roles

Since many health informatics departments function as a team and coordinate with other groups within their organization, there is also a need for managers and leaders in the HI field. Individuals with extensive experience in HI may advance their career through promotion to management or executive positions. At the highest level, they may be responsible for creating policies that have a broad and significant impact.

Data Collection and Analysis

Some HI graduates focus on collecting and analyzing data effectively. Data analysts look for ways to increase the amount of data available as well improve the accuracy and usability of the information. This type of HI professional may examine large amounts of information to identify potential shortfalls or opportunities for improvement in the current system.

Coding and Development

There is also plenty of room in the industry for those looking for health informatics jobs that require programming ability. Coding and software development are essential skills for many HI experts who are responsible for engineering and maintaining IT solutions for healthcare environments. HI programmers may be required to design or tweak virtual systems to optimize the collection and storage of relevant information.

Nurse Informaticist

Nurse informaticists share some of the responsibilities found in standard HI roles, although they devote more attention to bridging the clinical and technical sides of the process. Their duties often include giving informed feedback to help guide the decision-making process towards practical solutions. They also rely on social skills to help other employees use and understand new technology as it is introduced in the workplace.

Health informatics is one of the many professions that are at the front of their industry, hinging on opportunities provided by emerging ideas and technology. Graduates have plenty of different options to choose from in the health informatics job market, which gives them the freedom to shift or specialize their career in the future.

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