Making a Difference: Careers in Health Informatics

Description

Making a Difference: Careers in Health Informatics addresses everyday questions from people interested in working in health informatics. Typically, this includes people who work in health care, computer and technology fields, information science, finance / insurance and related areas. The book aims to tell students about various jobs that exist in the health informatics field, what credentials they need to qualify for those jobs, and a brief description about what people in those roles tend to do every day. As faculty members teaching in a Master of Science in Health Informatics program, the authors say that they are fortunate to have eager, bright, and talented graduate students who are invested in related health informatics areas. This could be their experiences in medicine, nursing, clinical care, software engineering, finance, business, library science, data science, or caregiving. Common questions we hear from our students that may be similar to questions among readers include: ‘what jobs are out there?’, ‘what can I do with this degree?’ or ‘what does a health informatics specialist do?’ This book aims to answer some of these questions with a look into a day in the life of people working in this field. The book examines career options, roles, and skill sets important in health informatics across 6 related industries. We want readers to realize that their skills and interests can apply in many areas of the field, not exclusively hospitals. This book highlights 6 unique work segments (hospital systems, long term care, health IT / consumer health organizations, government, consulting, and payer / insurance companies) into which readers may look to expand their career opportunities. The hope is that this book will provide insight into career opportunities students and professionals may be qualified for, and interested in, but simply not aware of. Hiring managers and human resource professionals across the stakeholder groups across the stakeholder groups may also find the book helpful in learning about other roles that may benefit their organizations. Cover Half title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments About the Authors 1 Introduction 1.1 Who Is This Book for? 1.2 What Is Health Informatics? 1.3 Informatics Specialty Areas in Healthcare 1.4 Job Outlook 1.5 Growth Rate 1.6 Compensation 1.7 Job Titles 1.8 Job Classifications 1.9 Direct Employment vs. Contracting 1.10 Rationale for Expanded Job Opportunities 1.11 A Changing Workforce 1.12 Working Remotely 1.13 Personality Profile of a Job 1.14 Changing Roles 1.15 Diverse Skill Sets Needed 1.16 International 1.17 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 1.18 Hospitals and Healthcare Systems 1.19 Health Information Technology: Innovation and Consumer Health 1.20 Health Insurance/Payer Organizations 1.21 Consulting 1.22 Long-Term Care/Senior Care 1.23 Government 1.24 How This Book Is Organized References 2 Getting the Job 2.1 Do I Need Clinical Experience to Get a Job in Health Informatics? 2.2 How Can I Leverage my Clinical Experience? 2.3 What If I Have No Clinical or Healthcare Experience? 2.4 What If I’m Making a Career Change? 2.5 What If I Am a New Graduate and Don’t Have Much Experience? 2.6 New and Changing Jobs in Health Informatics 2.7 Innovation as a Strategy 2.8 Innovation Mindset 2.9 Have a Good Attitude and Be Willing to Learn 2.10 Practical Insights from Health Informatics Thought Leaders 2.11 Summary References 3 Careers in Hospitals and Health Systems 3.1 Introduction to Hospitals and Health Systems 3.2 A Day in the Life 3.3 Informatics Roles 3.3.1 Project Management 3.3.2 Infrastructure 3.3.3 Network Connectivity 3.3.4 Tech Support 3.3.5 Training 3.3.6 Security 3.3.7 Data Management and Analytics 3.3.8 Research 3.3.9 Contract 3.4 Knowledge for Job Hunting 3.5 Job Description Examples 3.5.1 Clinical Informatics Specialist 3.5.2 Clinical/Business Intelligence Analyst 3.5.3 Cybersecurity Analyst 3.6 Job Criteria 3.6.1 Technical Skills 3.6.2 People Skills 3.6.3 Experience with Healthcare 3.7 International 3.8 Keywords for Job Search 3.9 Summary References 4 Careers in Health Information Technology (Health IT) Companies 4.1 Introduction to Health Information Technology Companies 4.2 A Word About Health Informatics in Big Tech 4.3 A Day in the Life 4.4 What Skill Sets Do Job Candidates Need? 4.5 What is an Example of a Typical Data Analysis? 4.6 What Job Roles Will a Health Informatics Specialist Have? 4.7 Do I Need Certifications for These Jobs? 4.8 What is a Typical Day in the Life of a Data Analyst? 4.9 Informatics Roles 4.9.1 Health IT Companies/EHR Vendors 4.9.2 Innovation Labs 4.9.3 Consumer Health/Pharmacy/Medical Technology 4.9.4 Startups in Biotechnology and Digital Health 4.10 Knowledge for Job Hunting 4.11 Job Description Examples 4.11.1 Project Manager 4.11.2 Clinical Informatics Specialist or Senior Team Lead in Health Informatics 4.11.3 Health Informatics/Medical Informatics Consultant 4.11.4 Product Owner/Product Manager 4.11.5 Database Manager 4.12 Job Criteria 4.12.1 Technical Skills 4.12.2 People Skills 4.12.3 Experience with Healthcare 4.13 International 4.14 Keywords for Job Search 4.15 Summary References 5 Careers in Health Insurance/Payer Organizations 5.1 Introduction to Health Insurance and Health Insurance Informatics 5.2 How Health Informatics Specialists Work in Payer Organizations 5.3 Informatics Roles 5.4 Day in the Life: Business Analyst 5.5 Day in the Life: HEDIS Analyst 5.6 What Kind of Skills Are You Looking for in a New Hire? 5.7 A Day in the Life: Executive Perspective 5.8 Knowledge for Job Hunting 5.9 Job Description Examples 5.9.1 Project Manager 5.9.2 Business Analyst 5.9.3 HEDIS Analyst 5.9.4 Data Strategy and Specialist 5.9.5 Information Security Management Leader 5.9.6 Senior Risk Analyst 5.10 Job Criteria 5.10.1 Technical Skills 5.10.2 People Skills 5.10.3 Experience with Healthcare 5.11 International Job Seekers 5.12 Keywords for Job Search 5.13 Summary References 6 Careers in Consulting 6.1 Introduction to Careers in Consulting 6.2 Informatics Roles 6.3 A Day in the Life 6.3.1 Consultants and Contractors 6.3.2 Examples of Consulting Firms 6.4 Knowledge for Job Hunting 6.5 Job Description Examples 6.5.1 Senior Consultant/Partner 6.5.2 Quality/Continuous Improvement Consultant 6.5.3 Market Analyst 6.6 Job Criteria 6.6.1 Technical Skills 6.6.2 People Skills 6.6.3 Experience in Healthcare 6.7 International 6.8 Keywords for Job Search 6.9 Summary References 7 Careers in Senior Care and Long-Term Care 7.1 Introduction to Senior Care and Long-Term Care 7.2 Health IT to Support Living Independently 7.3 Managing Long-Term Wellness 7.4 A Day in the Life: Executive Perspective 7.5 Day in the Life: Long-Term Care Consultant 7.6 Informatics Roles 7.6.1 Clinical Informatics 7.6.2 Small Teams or Solo Practitioner 7.6.3 Sharing Information 7.6.4 Roles in Home Monitoring Systems and Wellness 7.6.5 Roles in the Financial and Regulatory Context 7.6.6 Integration with Pharmacy and Other Health Specialists 7.7 Knowledge for Job Hunting: Demographics 7.8 Job Description Examples 7.8.1 Director of Clinical Informatics 7.8.2 IT Data Engineer 7.8.3 Systems Administrator 7.9 Job Criteria 7.9.1 Technical Skills 7.9.2 People Skills 7.9.3 Experience with Healthcare 7.10 International 7.11 Keywords for Job Search 7.12 Summary References 8 Careers in Government 8.1 Introduction to Careers in Government 8.2 Informatics Roles 8.3 A Day in the Life 8.4 Consultants and Contractors 8.5 Knowledge for Job Hunting 8.6 Job Description Examples 8.6.1 Public Health Analyst (ONC) 8.6.2 Health IT Policy Analyst 8.6.3 IT Specialist/System Analysis (CDC) 8.7 Job Criteria 8.7.1 Technical Skills 8.7.2 People Skills 8.7.3 Experience in Healthcare 8.8 International Job Seekers 8.9 Keywords for Job Search 8.10 Summary References 9 What Professional Associations Are Saying: What Kinds of Work Do Health Informaticists do? 9.1 Health Informatics Professional Competencies 9.2 HIMSS (Health Information Management Systems Society) 9.3 AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) 9.3.1 The Takeaway 9.4 Information on Joining HIMSS and AMIA 9.5 Training and Education 9.6 International Medical Graduates and Global Professionals 9.7 Job Postings in Health Informatics 9.8 Knowledge Areas of Clinical Informatics 9.9 Health Informatics in the 21st Century 9.10 Summary References 10 Career Phases and Next Steps 10.1 Starting Out 10.2 Early Career Progress 10.3 Mid-Career Development 10.4 Senior Career/Leadership Development 10.5 Next Steps 10.6 Remote Work 10.7 Conclusion References Index