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I've actually been doing more research and it sounds like health informatics is much better to get into than health information management. (I just found this breakdown http://www.oit.edu/docs/default-sour....pdf?sfvrsn=2: it's only one source but I'm also basing my opinion on other things I've read online )Would you guys agree? I'm currently looking at UT's program and also OHSU's program. (Masters). Would you guys have any opinion on those? Do you think once I get the degree that would help me to get a good job or would I be stuck without experience?
To me, "informatics" is a weird buzz word, because we're all attempting to figure out what you mean and what your career goals are. My recommendation on this is to determine what you want to do and what your career goals are aside from something is "better to get into" than something else from a small fact sheet.
I am still fairly certain you really mean you want to be in healthcare data analysis from your posting history. In that likelihood, similar to another poster on here, if it is possible for you to begin anywhere in healthcare try to get in at a claims/eligibility/network credentialing area in order to learn a little more about healthcare and to be able to use that prior experience as a spring board. That might help more than a master's degree with some companies. I cannot tell you how many times I applied for a position in healthcare data analysis where I was rejected not based on technical skill but because they wanted someone who came from more of a claims background or something.
Not sure if I would shell out money for a master's degree unless I was 125% certain that it was the field I wanted to be in and that it was my only way to get to where I need to go. Without working in healthcare, it is hard to take that leap but might be a little easier to start in a position, learn a little how the organizations work, and either try to move into an analysis role from there or go back to your previous field.
Thanks randomlikeme. I recently got discouraged b/c I looked up jobs online based on health informatics being in the description (as in masters in health informatics being preferred etc.) and nearly all of them wanted the person to already be a clinician. I'm thinking maybe I should just go back to my original plan of Masters in MIS or associatesl in Computer Information Systems while focusing on learning SQL. Thoughts?
Thanks randomlikeme. I recently got discouraged b/c I looked up jobs online based on health informatics being in the description (as in masters in health informatics being preferred etc.) and nearly all of them wanted the person to already be a clinician. I'm thinking maybe I should just go back to my original plan of Masters in MIS or associatesl in Computer Information Systems while focusing on learning SQL. Thoughts?
I’ve been in the healthcare analytics space for a while now and informatics is a great field if you have the experience, credentials, and interest. I’m not sure if you mean informatics or analytics or something else. Informatics people typically come from the clinical world. They are usually RN’s or maybe some MD’s who have an interest in and aptitude for that realm. The nuances of fields and crossover can be confusing and they can differ between organizations so it can get tricky.
Rather than using that label, define what you work you want to pursue. The informatics team where I work are all RN’s and have limited analytics and data knowledge. None have a lick of knowledge of SQL. They work with our patient care clinical staff to identify problem areas and improvements within some specific systems. Then there are people like me who are much more on the data, analytics, and reporting end. For non-clinicians, there are more opportunities in the BI area as a BA or Financial/Billing analyst or something of that sort. Otherwise, if you want to be closer to patient care (as opposed to the system/corporate level) you should either have experience in that world, have some clinical credentials, or a good dose of specialized education or specific knowledge that is valuable. I’m at the patient level due to experience and some other things, I am not a clinician and have never been one. I’ve been at the system level prior to coming here.
Best of luck
So you have to be a clinician like a nurse or doctor to go into healthcare informatics?
Hello,
I'm a legal assistant and looking to move into a different field. I'm thinking of getting my masters in health informatics. Do you think this would be a good move?
did you apply for the master's in Health Information Management?
Health informatics is super boring. Nearly everyone hates it, especially doctors, the people the systems are designed for. Thus, there will always be a need for specialists. I spent 2 years designing secure medical records systems, which were the two worst years of my life, so I would not recommend it.
However, if you are a self masochist looking for a sorta stable and sorta well paying career... it might be for you.
Health informatics is super boring. Nearly everyone hates it, especially doctors, the people the systems are designed for. Thus, there will always be a need for specialists. I spent 2 years designing secure medical records systems, which were the two worst years of my life, so I would not recommend it.
However, if you are a self masochist looking for a sorta stable and sorta well paying career... it might be for you.
i like boring jobs so yes. I dont like to be on my feet 24/7
So you have to be a clinician like a nurse or doctor to go into healthcare informatics?
No, you definitely don't have to.
Take a look at some job postings. Some orgs and positions call for a clinical degree, others don't. There is a lot of variability in the types of qualifications and the jobs. Some informatics depts are more technically focused, others are more process focused. And the differences can relate to many things from where the org sees informatics fitting it to the current state of the orgs EHR.
Best thing to do to find out the necessary credentials are to browse through postings.
Health informatics is super boring. Nearly everyone hates it, especially doctors, the people the systems are designed for. Thus, there will always be a need for specialists. I spent 2 years designing secure medical records systems, which were the two worst years of my life, so I would not recommend it.
However, if you are a self masochist looking for a sorta stable and sorta well paying career... it might be for you.
I hope nobody listens too much to this.
The field is definitely not boring. A particular job within the field may be, others jobs won’t.
Doctors dislike anything that they see as a constraint to patient care, which really is most administrative things. They (as well as other clinical staff) can be shaped to accept, understand, and eventually appreciate an EMR that works with and for them. It’s really about managing expectations and educating them. If you just waltz in and dictate “here, use this”, then yeah, they won’t like it.
Something that seems masochist to one can be very suitable for another. You have to know yourself and know the healthcare environment to make a good decision. I will say this, working with docs can definitely be interesting (not in a good way).
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