The healthcare industry, as a whole, generates an incredible amount of data. It’s estimated that healthcare is responsible for thirty percent of the world’s data and that the data collected each year is more than twice the amount held in the Library of Congress. [1] What can we learn from that data, and how can it be used to improve patient care and patient outcomes? Answering this question is the focus of health informatics.
Those in health informatics leverage their knowledge and experience in health fields, scientific inquiry processes, and a natural tech savvy and use these skills to enhance lives. As the amount of health data we’re accumulating and accessing expands beyond current boundaries, fields in health informatics are becoming more important than ever.
The field of health informatics offers many diverse career paths. Let’s explore each, including necessary education and training, salary information, and more.
General Career Opportunities
The field of health informatics is expanding rapidly, and new career opportunities are becoming available as the field grows. Entry-level positions in the field are usually as a health informatics specialist, clinical informatics specialist, or health information technician. These are essentially different job titles for the same career. Many of these positions can be found in hospitals, but there are some opportunities with private companies and government agencies.
Mid-level careers in health informatics include clinical informatics manager, health informatics consultant, nursing informatics, and healthcare IT project manager. These positions require either ample experience in the field or advanced education. Opportunities for these careers exist in many different settings.
Top-level health informatics careers include informatics director and chief medical information officer (CMIO) positions. It’s not uncommon for a Ph.D. level of education to be required for these roles. However, top-level opportunities only require a master’s degree in health informatics.
Top Careers In Health Informatics
Nursing Roles in Health Informatics
- Nurse Informatics (Nurse Informaticist)
- Clinical Informatics Nurse
Clinical Informatics Roles
- Clinical Informatics Specialist
- Clinical Informatics Analyst
- Clinical Documentation Specialist
Data Management Roles in Health Informatics
- Health Informatics Specialist
- Health Data Analyst
- Health Information Management
- Clinical Data Manager
Advanced Education & Research Roles
- Medical Informatics Scientist
- Biomedical Informatics Specialist
- Genomic Informatics Specialist
Project Management & Coordination
- Health IT Project Manager
- Clinical Informatics Coordinator
- Healthcare Analytics Consultant
Public Health Informatics
- Public Health Informatics Specialist
- Population Health Informatics Specialist
- Health Informatics Compliance Officer
Physician Focused Informatics Roles
- Clinical Information (Physician Informaticist)
- Informatics Physician Advisor
Healthcare Data Security
- Healthcare Data Security Specialist
- Health Information Privacy Officer
- Cybersecurity Analyst in Healthcare
- Health IT Compliance Officer
- Health Data Quality Manager
- Risk Management Specialist in Healthcare IT
General Educational Pathways
Most health informatics career pathways require at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing, information technology, the science of health in informatics, or another similarly related field.
Many higher-paying health informatics positions require a master’s degree in one of several areas. These include a master of health informatics, nursing informatics, a master of science in health informatics, or a master of information systems.
While multiple educational pathways can be taken to a health informatics career, there must be training and education specific to the field at some point. This may be achieved through advanced education or several certificate programs related to specific focus areas of the field.
General Salary Insights
There’s a wide range of average salaries in the field of health informatics. This is due to a couple of different factors. First is education, certifications, and experience. The median salary range across all areas of health informatics starts at $70,500. With continual education and job experience, the average annual salary across all areas is $82,781. Top earners in the field earn an annual salary of $98,500 or more. [2]
Geographically, the northwestern United States sees the highest percentage of top earners, leading other regions when looking at annual salaries of $200,000 or more. [3] When looking at nursing informatics specifically, forty-one percent of nurse informaticists in the company’s western region report an annual salary of at least $125,000, a greater percentage than any other region.
Title Interchangeability & Role Overlaps
If you’re considering a career in health informatics but feel overwhelmed by the idea of choosing a specific direction, you’re not alone. There are many different career paths to take in the field, but one thing to consider is the overlaps of roles and responsibilities among the different career titles.
All roles in health informatics are concerned with one primary focus – using patient and health data for broader purposes that improve patient experience and outcomes, streamline procedural processes, and assist health facilities in operating more efficiently concerning the budget. Each health informatics position we mentioned above helps accomplish this goal somehow.
For example, we can look at the various informaticist and informatics specialist roles. There’s a great deal of overlap in the general scope of nursing informaticist, clinical informatics nurse, clinical informatics specialist, and health informatics specialist. The key roles are similar, but the setting and specific focus differ.
For those entering the field, this means ample opportunity for career growth. Entering one of the starting-level positions provides the experience to move to more advanced positions and those with a specific focus. Continuing education significantly advances your career, but experience isn’t undervalued.
Conclusion
We’re seeing the field of health informatics expanding rapidly, with a great career outlook well into the future. You’ll find many areas of specific focus, offering those interested in health informatics ample choices and opportunities for a career tailored to their unique education, skills, and experience. In our opinion, there’s a health informatics career suitable for anyone interested.
Health informatics is also a field that can be entered with varying degrees of education and experience. Those with associate’s degrees have opportunities to gain hands-on experience and complete certificate programs to further their career. At the same time, those with master’s and PhDs can look forward to exciting careers in the roles of officers, administrators, and advisors. We can’t stress enough the value of continuing education in the field.
When considering your career in health informatics, consider your unique skill set, strengths, and personal interests when formulating a plan to reach your career goals.
Are you interested in a career in health informatics, or are you already a community member? Please share your thoughts and experiences or questions you have about the field. We’re happy to answer questions and engage with you regarding this exciting field in healthcare.
Sources
[1] Eastwood, B. “How to Navigate Structured and Unstructured Data as a Healthcare Organization.” Health Tech Magazine, 2023.
[2] ZipRecruiter. “Healthcare Informatics Salary.” ZipRecruiter.com.
[3] Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. “Nursing Informatics Workplace 2023 Salary and Benefits Report.” HIMSS.org, 2023.
Salary Information Sources:
American Medical Informatics Association. “Careers & Certifications.” AMIA.org.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” BLS.gov, 2023.
“Healthcare Informatics Salary.” ZipRecruiter.com, 2023.
“Health Informatics Salaries.” GlassDoor.com, 2023.
