- Health Informatics Director
- Nursing Informatics Specialist
- Chief Medical Information Officer
- Electronics Medical Records Keeper
- Health Informatics Consultant
Health informatics is one of the fastest-growing fields in healthcare. There are many career opportunities with a Master’s in Health Informatics. The healthcare industry is focused on providing the best possible healthcare to patients. Health informatics plays an important role in this industry. Health informatics uses computer science and information technology to monitor and manage healthcare records. It does this in ways that allow healthcare providers to improve healthcare. It deals with health information:
- storage
- retrieval
- collaboration
Here are five career opportunities with a Master’s in Health Informatics.
Health Informatics Director
Health informatics directors oversee teams of information technology professionals. Directors are in charge of ensuring professionals are properly trained. The health informatics director also communicates with stakeholders regarding any necessary changes in technology protocol as well as any issues and challenges there might be. They also address any problems in the system that may be mentioned by physicians and other medical personnel. Health informatics directors earn annual wages ranging from $140,164 to $172,733. The average annual wage is $153,226 as of a December 2018 report by Salary.com.
Nursing Informatics Specialist
Nurses play an integral part of a healthcare system. They are the ones providing constant care to patients while also performing their administrative duties. Because of the high level of knowledge and expertise that goes into nursing, many healthcare facilities are searching for RNs who are trained and experienced in informatics. The nursing informatics specialist works with the nursing staff and trains them on:
- recording and keeping protocol
- reducing inaccuracies in patient care plans
- the importance of technology in patient care
Nursing informatics specialist is one of the most popular of the many career opportunities with a Master’s in Health Informatics. Nursing informatics specialists earned an average annual wage of $85,843 with wages ranging from $66,192 to $116,290.
Chief Medical Information Officer
The job duties of a chief medical information officer can vary from one organization to another. However, their main responsibility is to ensure the information management team runs smoothly in all departments. They also ensure that patients are receiving the highest quality of care while utilizing various information systems. The chief medical information officer may also:
- design software applications
- conduct daily analysis
- participate in many IT governance tasks
They work in:
- hospitals
- government agencies
- academic settings
The average annual wage for chief medical information officers is $149,970.
Electronics Medical Records Keeper
One of the major components of health informatics is the transfer, storage and retrieval of medical records. Electronics medical records keepers are the professionals responsible for converting the records to digital format. They assign codes to patient data and input all the patient information into the company’s database, including:
- medical history
- symptoms
- diagnosis
- conditions
- appointments
- treatment
They also train others on the art of electronic medical records. They ensure the patient records are accurate and secure. Since the Affordable Care Act mandated that medical professionals need to convert to electronic medical records, this is an in-demand job. These professionals earned an average wage of $37,110.
Health Informatics Consultant
The health informatics consultant has many job duties, including:
- updating networks
- installing new software
- troubleshooting and monitoring computer systems
- installing new software
- training staff members and teams
They also consult with other department heads regarding the system and any possible changes it may need. The health informatics consultant manages the company’s computer database. This position does offer areas of specialization. The responsibilities and wages can vary depending on the specialization. However, health informatics consultants generally earn about $80,000 per year.
Related Resource: 10 Great Deals: Master’s in Health Informatics Online
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare occupations should experience a job growth of 18 percent during the decade of 2016-2026. This should result in about 2.4 million new healthcare jobs being created. These jobs should provide excellent career opportunities with a Master’s in Health Informatics.