Probably few people have ever come across the term clinical informatics at any point in their everyday lives. This may be so, but clinical informatics (also known by a variety of other names, viz. health informatics, health care informatics, medical informatics, nursing informatics, biomedical informatics and health information systems). Whatever the name (only the first will be used here), it refers to “the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine.” The tools used to do such work includes physical material such as computers, as well as information systems, clinical guidelines and lists of medical terms. The rest of this article is about receiving a clinical informatics degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC).
A total of four degree programs and certificates are offered in clinical informatics:
Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management
Master of Science in Health Informatics
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Information Management (RHIA)
Post-Masters Certificate in Health Informatics
The focus of the curriculum is on how to implement and optimize the information systems employed in clinical practice and the infrastructure that connects the various elements of the information system and makes possible the transfer of data from one place to another at each point in the care of a patient. Courses may be taken either on campus or online. Those who graduate have received words of high praise from their employers: One described his employee as “able to think critically, problem solver.”
To receive a free brochure on any of the four study curricula, an applicant must fill out an online form. First, he or she indicates what he hopes to achieve through the program from among the following:
secure a position in health care information technology
move into a management position
open or join a consulting business
achieve the personal satisfaction of earning an advanced degree
other
He then indicates his highest level of education achieved and finally chooses which of the four programs he wishes to pursue and fills in his name, email, phone number and ZIP code.
The above program at UIC has been accredited nationally by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, and regionally by the Higher Learning Commission.
A total of four degree programs and certificates are offered in clinical informatics:
Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management
Master of Science in Health Informatics
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Information Management (RHIA)
Post-Masters Certificate in Health Informatics
The focus of the curriculum is on how to implement and optimize the information systems employed in clinical practice and the infrastructure that connects the various elements of the information system and makes possible the transfer of data from one place to another at each point in the care of a patient. Courses may be taken either on campus or online. Those who graduate have received words of high praise from their employers: One described his employee as “able to think critically, problem solver.”
To receive a free brochure on any of the four study curricula, an applicant must fill out an online form. First, he or she indicates what he hopes to achieve through the program from among the following:
secure a position in health care information technology
move into a management position
open or join a consulting business
achieve the personal satisfaction of earning an advanced degree
other
He then indicates his highest level of education achieved and finally chooses which of the four programs he wishes to pursue and fills in his name, email, phone number and ZIP code.
The above program at UIC has been accredited nationally by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, and regionally by the Higher Learning Commission.