Quick Highlights:
- Health informatics focuses on managing and analyzing healthcare data, crucial for IT systems in healthcare.
- Essential skills include technical abilities like data management, analytical thinking, and a deep understanding of healthcare regulations.
- Soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and leadership are vital for success in health informatics.
- A health informatics degree prepares you for high-paying jobs by teaching necessary technical, analytical, and regulatory knowledge.
Table of contents
Thanks to the advent of big data and artificial intelligence (AI), data management in healthcare is becoming increasingly important. By pursuing a health informatics degree, you can prepare yourself for a high-paying job in the industry.
Once you have developed health informatics skills, you can get a job working with health data analysis. This may involve handling, analyzing, or securing the data. Often, workers in this field work on healthcare IT systems. They may work with:
- IT workers
- tech designers
- clinicians
- other professionals
Related:
- 20 Best Master’s Degrees in Health Informatics
- 20 Best Online Master’s in Health Informatics Degrees
Key Skills Required in Health Informatics
In order to work in the field of data management in healthcare, you have to develop health informatics skills. In general, you will be expected to learn:
- technical skills
- analytical skills
- regulatory knowledge
- soft skills
These skills are typically taught during a health informatics degree, but you can also gain these abilities through on-the-job experience or certifications.
Technical Skills
In order to work in health informatics, you must be skilled at data management and analysis. For example, certain roles may expect you to learn R or Python. Other technical skills, like database design, database management, and healthcare information management, are also typically necessary.
Often, project management and business acumen are useful for health informatics careers. Because of this, many schools will offer business administration and leadership classes. A master’s in health informatics often involves this type of advanced knowledge because it is intended for people who are pursuing promotions or leadership positions in the field.
Additionally, it is important for you to learn about healthcare cybersecurity. Hackers and cybercriminals devote significant resources to stealing financial data and personal information. By learning about healthcare cybersecurity, you can protect your patients’ and employer’s data.
Analytical Skills
If you are like many prospective students, you’ve likely wondered about how to prepare yourself for this degree field. While you must have technical knowledge to work in healthcare IT systems, you also need to possess an analytical nature.
One of the top clinical data analyst skills is being able to interpret complex health data. To be successful, you must be able to analyze data and turn it into a format that is useful for the end user.
As a part of health data analysis, you must also be talented at using mathematics to analyze information. Statistical tools are important for healthcare forecasting. With a health informatics degree, you may take classes in statistics and advanced mathematics to prepare yourself for the job market.
Regulatory Knowledge
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are just two of the many healthcare laws that govern this industry. If you want to succeed in this field, you must become familiar with the laws and compliance requirements involved.
The following list includes just a few of the regulations involved in health informatics jobs.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Confidentiality: This act states that drug and alcohol abuse programs must treat information as confidential, even if the patient is impaired.
Privacy Act of 1974: The Privacy Act of 1974 dictates that citizens must know about which information is collected about them.
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO): This private group accredits healthcare facilities and lets them take part in Medicare. It determines many rules connected to patient care and confidentiality.
ACA: The ACA changes how healthcare insurance costs are set. It also set up state exchanges for the provision of healthcare.
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009: The HITECH runs health IT safety and security. It also promotes the secure exchange of information.
Medicare Access & Chip (MACRA): MACRA was created in 2015 to improve payments for physicians.
HIPAA: This law was enacted in 1996. Since then, it has set standards for electronic healthcare and the continuance of healthcare after a job change.
Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA): FDASIA was enacted in 2012. It created a regulatory framework for mobile apps and healthcare IT systems.
21st Century Cures Act: This act was put in place in 2016 to modernize the healthcare system. For example, it streamlined the development of drugs, medical devices, and cures.
Soft Skills
To succeed in the health informatics, you need more than a degree. You also need soft skills. For example, many successful people possess communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
Communication abilities are one of the most important skills you’ll need as a health informatics professional. With communication skills, you can express an idea, work with a team, and train an incoming team member. If you can’t communicate your ideas and understand what other people are trying to convey, you will have a difficult time meeting your project goals.
Likewise, you need collaborative skills to succeed in interdisciplinary teams. You can’t just know how to work with people who understand health data analysis. Many team members will have different backgrounds and sets of skills, so you must be able to work with a wide variety of people.
Finally, another one of the health informatics skills you should invest in is leadership. To get paid more in the field, you will likely need to take on a leadership role. Certificates in leadership, project management experiences, a master’s degree in business administration, and similar achievements can help you develop and demonstrate your leadership abilities to a prospective employer.
Application of Skills in Health Informatics Jobs
There are many health informatics jobs you can get after you complete your degree. Each job may require a different set of skills. For example, a health informatics consultant, IT systems manager, or clinical data analyst may require specific kinds of experience.
Health informatics consultant: To become a health informatics consultant, you need to be talented in technical skills, communication, leadership, programming, and analytical thinking.
Clinical data analyst: If you want to succeed, you need to know SQL, spreadsheets, and statistical programming languages. You should also understand quality improvement and data integrity.
Informatics nurse specialist: Someone who works as an informatics nurse specialist must be able to use technology for nursing information management. In addition to getting advanced training in informatics, you must also be a licensed nurse.
IT systems manager: To succeed in this position, you must understand healthcare IT systems. You should be good at interpersonal communication, network management, technological proficiency, teamwork, and public speaking.
To hone your skills, you will likely need experience beyond your degree. An internship is a great way to show your abilities and talents. In addition, you should nurture industry connections because your professional network can help you find ways to use data management in healthcare jobs.
Begin Your Journey Toward a Health Informatics Degree
Other than learning health informatics skills and programming, you also need to improve your:
- critical thinking
- leadership abilities
- communication abilities
While some data management in healthcare jobs don’t require a health informatics degree, many jobs necessitate a college education. Additionally, a college degree can help you learn about healthcare IT systems and other data management skills.
By pursuing a degree in health informatics, you can start learning about health data analysis and gain new skills. Afterward, you can get hired in a rewarding career field.