Health Informatics

The integration of computer technology into healthcare has resulted in a huge demand for professionals known as healthcare informaticians. Informaticians represent one of the fastest growing specialties in healthcare, according to a recent forecast, and the need is so big that some informatics students are recruited before they even complete their education. The job market is so hot right now that employers are trying to hire people before they even get out of our program. Healthcare informaticians work in a variety of domains, including hospitals, vendor organizations, and consulting firms.


      1.      Clinical informaticist
This career can be applied to a number of responsibilities. A clinical informaticist might be responsible for organizing and managing patient data; making the information available to health care providers, staff, and patients; educating the end users in the current systems; optimizing information technology (IT) use; and receiving feedback and requests from users.

      2.      Health Informatics Consultant
This independent position allows healthcare facilities to meet federal mandates while keeping employment costs low. Health informatics consultants can be brought in to complete a wide variety of task such as:
Updating networks
Installing software
Monitoring systems and troubleshooting

It is becoming more common for consultants in health informatics to hold a master’s degree. There is a wide range of salary potentials for consultants based on area of specialty and other factors such as geographic location. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) reports the health informatics salary for this career might reach up to $80,000’s.

      3.      Pharmacy or nutrition informaticist
Pharmacy informaticists use data to monitor dosing and adverse reactions and ensure more accurate and detailed prescriptions from physicians to improve patients’ results. Also, nutrition informaticists use patient data to make more informed decisions about food planning, whether the goal is to reduce allergic reactions, or improve a treatment plan.

      4.      Health Informatics Specialist
Health informatics specialists have a similar role to that of an informatics nurse, but you will work more closely with the implementation of technology in a healthcare setting. You may be responsible for training staff and creating educational documents for any systems, but you will also be responsible for troubleshooting and assisting staff when problems arise. As a health informatics specialist, you will also need to be up to date on the latest compliance and regulatory standards.  According to PayScale, the average salary for a health informatics specialist is $61,050 per year, with an average reported salary of $35,449 to $91,618 per year.

      5.      Informatics manager
The informatics manager is responsible for making sure systems are working when they are needed. They facilitate access to data, check that collected data are accurate and ensure all the information is in compliance with federal and state guidelines. A clinical informatics manager might oversee these tasks for an entire hospital or medical practice.

Whether the job is to provide technical support or to deliver latest ICT projects, health informatics staff is responsible for the constant cycle of information.  All members of the healthcare team, including healthcare professionals, managers and administrators, rely on fast, accurate information to deliver the best care they can. Using IT creatively to achieve this means health informatics is one of the bedrocks of health. 

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