The growing field of Health Informatics may be a great career choice for you. Have you considered it? If so, then you know that earning your online Bachelor’s of Health Informatics degree could be a good fit for you. As recent legislation has requested the implementation of the electronic healthcare records (EHR) system, it will provide medical personnel with up-to-date access to a patient’s complete medical record history, as well as, recent lab or x-ray results. This pertinent information helps physicians better serve their patients. In a program of this kind, you will learn about combining your IT capabilities and software skills with your business knowledge.
You will also learn how to assist healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses, in storing every aspect of their patient’s medical information. In your bachelor’s degree program, you will learn about the medical process and it will familiarize you with the day-to-day operations of a medical office, as well as, medical coding, billing, health data standards, health information science, medical ethics, in addition to, healthcare reimbursement methods, basic anatomy, pharmacology and physiology.
In your online Bachelor’s of Health Informatics degree program, you will also learn valuable skills that will help you in most any career, such as, quality control analysis, good judgement and decision-making skills, programming and technology design, as well as, excellent management skills. In addition, you will learn how to be organized, show attention to detail, develop interpersonal skills and to learn the importance of patient/doctor confidentiality and how to ensure that private information is kept secure.
If convenience and flexibility is important to you as you continue along your educational journey, online classes are for you. As in most online courses, your classes will probably be considered asynchronous, meaning that you can access your coursework from anywhere at any time you would like, however, you must adhere to school assignment deadlines. Occasionally, some programs may require that you attend a meeting or seminar at a certain time online. You may communicate with your professors or other fellow students through email, chat room sessions or other types of message boards. And, of course, you must have the proper computer and Internet service to meet the requirements of the course. Please make sure that it is an accredited program before signing on.
Although online programs in Health Informatics are readily available, depending on your program, they may be considered a hybrid program. This means that your coursework may be partially available through an online program, but some portions may need to be completed through a supervised practical/internship experience. In your practicum experience, you will observe how a health informatics department works, as well as, the relationships between the patient, their doctors and nurses. You will be expected to showcase what you have learned through your bachelor’s degree program.
The typical bachelor’s degree, in this field, can be earned in two to three years, depending on your program. Very often, students continue their education through a master’s program to reach their career goals, however, certificate programs are also available, which will increase your hiring opportunities exponentially. A doctorate degree in Healthcare Informatics will help you learn how to develop and implement new computer systems to better serve the healthcare community.
If you are interested in this field, please check out our choices for the Top 15 Online Schools for Bachelor’s of Health Informatics Degree Programs that we have compiled for your convenience.