Nothing is spared when it comes to testing the boundaries of patient care. Part of the evolution of medicine in the world involves the merging of computer technology, information technology and medical science; all of which relate to healthcare information systems, commonly referred to as healthcare informatics. Previously these were separate areas of interest and would make strange bedfellows, but all that is in the past now. Today, due to medical informatics, no medical finding, treatment nor advancement happens without the help of computers and the technology that powers computers. This paved the way for a new career to emerge which involves health information systems. This is called health informatics which has resulted in new medical careers called health informatics careers.
There are many positions offered under health informatics and health information management, and many educational paths you can take to get there - for example, you can get started by earning an online Bachelor's degree in health informatics. Read on to find out if you are cut out for any of these very exciting and rewarding opportunities. One of those listed might be the career opportunity that you’ve been waiting for to put you on the path to your career goals.
- Chief Information Officer: This person is responsible for healthcare information technology, which involves a team of information technologists working in a hospital setting. He and the team implement guidelines for the proper use and access of information dealing with doctor and patient files, medical information, and the latest treatments in the medical industry. He also interfaces with patients to personally gain feedback into their treatments, comfort level with the treatment, and the speed of getting the information that they need. Lastly, he makes sure that medical findings and breakthroughs are always documented properly for future use and reference.
- Clinical Informaticist: If you’ve worked or are currently working as a nurse, laboratory technician or radiologist, you might want to shift to this career where your background will be helpful. A clinical informaticist provides accurate data needed by employees working in hospitals, clinics and research facilities. The data is often based on old or recent cases that are needed for diagnosis of a patient’s condition, data most often needed during medical board and staff meetings. Due to their background and front line experience, people who work in this position also have a say about treatments that can be administered for medical conditions.
- Research Assistant: This job requires someone to work both inside and outside of the hospital or research facility to gather data, do research, talk to patients, coordinate with other departments in the hospital, interview experts and report back to a team of researchers. Being exposed to people means the research assistant has to have a cheerful disposition and excellent communication skills. The least of what a research assistant does is use a computer for data entry so computer skills are very much preferred.
- Information Security Officer: A person handling this job should be very good at implementing codes to thwart off hackers and unauthorized personnel; that’s his major responsibility. Like a bouncer in a club, he should be able to prevent unauthorized entry into the archives, files, research, data, records and all the other sensitive information reserved only for those who should be granted access.
These are just four of the health informatics careers being offered in the area of health informatics, but you should not worry about getting a job in this field because as long as you have the educational background and the experience to apply for health informatics jobs, you will soon find yourself working in the field of medicine, computers and information technology.