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“Virtually every hospital, clinic, physician office or other healthcare provider organization will utilize information technology solutions in the coming years and will need healthcare professionals versed in informatics to assist with the implementation, use and success of these systems.”
Don Detmer, M.D., M.A.
AMIA* President
*American Medical Informatics Association
The professional home for biomedical and health informatics
The future looks bright for BJC healthcare professionals who are interested in developing an expertise in information technology and applying it in the healthcare setting. In fact, there has never been a better time to pursue a degree in healthcare informatics. Stricter patient privacy regulations combined with the rapid growth of both medical knowledge and technology have caused an increased demand for electronic health records (EHR) and professionals qualified to lead this effort. The healthcare industry has also turned to informatics to improve patient safety and clinical work flow, and cut down on medical errors.
Healthcare informatics professionals integrate the worlds of medicine and technology by utilizing their expertise in medical data management, patient care and information technology systems. While an IT professional handles hardware, software, servers and installations services, the healthcare informatics professional analyzes and interprets clinical data and medical information, and works with other healthcare staff to plan, implement and optimize healthcare information systems.
“The job market for clinically-trained health informatics professionals is very strong," says JoAnn Shaw, BJC vice president and chief learning officer. “We've partnered with SIUE to offer an excellent, onsite program that will help address our own expanding need for informatics professionals.”
