The field of health informatics and healthcare information technology is growing much faster than the average occupation, even faster than the healthcare industry as a whole. You may not even know what professionals in health informatics careers do or what job titles they hold. Several careers are available to candidates with a health informatics degree, including fast-growing jobs in skilled and clinical roles.
Skilled Roles in Health Informatics
Different job roles in the field of health informatics require different levels of skill and training.
The job outlook for the health informatics field as a whole is positive. However, opportunities for low-skilled health informatics jobs, like medical records clerks, are actually decreasing, Jobs for the Future reports. Fortunately, jobs in more skilled health informatics roles are growing, and candidates can earn the credentials necessary to move up into these careers within a year or two.
You can attain a job as a medical coder by earning the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) credential. It typically takes about one year to prepare for the examination, according to Jobs for the Future.
Health information technician is an even more skilled occupation in health informatics and often requires at minimum an associate’s degree in the subject. This job category encompasses mid-level technical roles as well as supervisor roles.
Clinical Roles in Health Informatics
Some health informatics and health information technology jobs are clinical in nature. They may require a degree in a field like nursing or life science and clinical work experience. These professionals help integrate health information technology into managing clinical treatment and making patient care decisions.
Informatics nurse, for example, is a job experiencing significant career growth, Monster.com reports. Informatics nurses assess the information technology systems in use by a hospital or other healthcare facility. They then upgrade these systems to ensure patient information is handled efficiently. These professionals need training and education in nursing as well as health informatics.
Among the fastest-growing jobs in the field are roles like clinical improvement analyst and clinical documentation specialist. Clinical specialists establish and modify the information technology systems and processes a healthcare facility uses to create digital patient records. Clinical analysts maintain databases and review the data collected. They use this to find ways to make patient data collection more efficient.
Experienced professionals can advance to clinical informatics manager roles. These employees have the responsibility of supervising operations of a hospital’s information systems. The job requires plenty of relevant work experience and often a clinical degree. The rewards are substantial. Clinical informatics managers earn an average annual salary of nearly $93,000. Some earn six figures.
Whether you’re interested in clinical work or health information technology, your training in health informatics can prepare you for a number of job opportunities.
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