Physicians in Health Informatics Careers
Physicians are highly valued in the field of health informatics. Physicians fulfill a role in health informatics that extends far beyond their traditional role in patient care. We see physicians in informatics influencing how patient data is used to improve patient care and outcomes. Physicians also serve important roles as advisors in the health informatics landscape, engaging with other healthcare professionals and advising on everything from date-fueled diagnostic procedures to developing new treatment options.
For physicians, the primary roles include physician informaticist and physician informatics advisor.
Physician informaticist
Those in this role are physicians who practice and implement clinical informatics. They work with additional healthcare professionals and health informatics professionals to ensure that patient data is handled and used in a way that provides safe, effective, and timely patient outcomes.
According to the American Medical Informatics Association, physician informaticists perform responsibilities that include:
- Assessing the information and knowledge needs of both patients and the healthcare professionals who care for them
- Can organize, evaluate, and refine clinical processes
- Develop, integrate, and fine-tune technological support systems for clinical decision-making
- Work to improve clinical information systems continually
Educational Paths
An MD (doctor of medicine) or DO (doctor of osteopathy) degree is required to enter the field and become board-certified in health informatics. An accredited fellowship may be required before certification.
Salary Range
Physician informaticists are compensated for their expertise. The average salary for those in this position is $217,445, with top earners reporting annual earnings of $300,000 or more. [1]
Career Opportunities
Physician informatics is a very specialized field of health informatics. The career outlook information for this area specifically is limited, but the field of health informatics, in general, is expected to experience significant growth over the next ten years. Physician informaticists have the skills, knowledge, and experience to advance into executive roles.
Informatics Physician Advisor
Individuals in this advanced position are physicians who have taken on the role of advisor in health informatics. Individual roles in this position may vary depending on the organization or company for which they are employed. Informatics physician advisors are critical in ensuring that patient and healthcare data is utilized to benefit healthcare providers, organizations, and patients.
Educational Paths
An informatics physician advisor position requires an MD / DO degree and board certification.
Salary Range
The average salary for physician advisors in informatics is $204,193, with some variance in geographical location and years of experience. [2]
Conclusion
Health informatics offers exciting opportunities for physicians who want to extend their areas of expertise beyond direct patient care. This is also a field that’s rapidly growing, providing current physicians and those working toward an MD / DO degree the opportunity to jump into an engaging, rewarding career with an average salary that can exceed $200,000 per year. Even if you’re in undergrad studies and looking toward the future, this area of health informatics is expected to grow continually in the next decade.
Sources
[1] ZipRecruiter. “Physician Informaticist Salary.” ZipRecruiter.com.
[2] ZipRecruiter. “Informatics Physician Advisor Salary.” ZipRecruiter.com.
All physicians (including informaticists) are MD’s or DO’s, not PhD. PhD’s cannot sit for the Physician board certification exams. Please change all to MD/DO and not PhD.
Thank you for highlighting the MD/DO and PhD distinction. The post has been corrected to reflect this important clarification.