Healthcare Informatics
Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics at BJC
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has called for a national healthcare information infrastructure — including electronic health records — by 2014. The mandate has created an industry-wide focus on the cohesive operation and transparency of healthcare systems and records. Technology use at every level of healthcare is increasing rapidly. Front line healthcare workers interact daily with an overwhelming array of computerized technology, and healthcare IT roles are growing in complexity and number. The primary goal continues to be enhanced patient care, but the means by which this is accomplished is changing rapidly
Healthcare Informatics at SIUE
The healthcare informatics program is designed for BJC Healthcare professionals in partnership with SIUE. This premier graduate program combines the specific information technology needs of healthcare professionals with the professional expertise of the faculty in the SIUE Schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Nursing, and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Healthcare informatics at SIUE will provide you with skills and perspective in planning, designing, implementing and using information technologies. The program is designed for clinical BJC employees who currently have technology-based responsibilities or have an interest in moving their careers in that direction.
Program Overview
Healthcare informatics brings together computer technology and clinical expertise to effectively organize, analyze, manage and use clinical knowledge and data for problem solving and decision making. As hospitals and healthcare organizations convert to electronic medical records, the need for healthcare informatics has increased significantly.
Healthcare informatics enables health care providers to use computerized systems to:
- Develop standards and clinical guidelines
- Guide their diagnoses and treatment recommendations
- Facilitate communication and manage the flow of information
- Evaluate quality of care
Professional Development Sequence
The professional development sequence (PDS) in healthcare informatics will provide skills and perspectives in planning, designing, implementing and using information technology for individuals with clinical experience or who have an interest in moving their careers in that direction. Students who complete the professional development sequence will have additional knowledge for positions in health informatics that deal with analysis and interpretation of clinical data and medical information. This might include roles in administration, consulting, or as clinical information specialists. The program is designed to meet the needs of part-time students and will be delivered in a hybrid format.
Admission
A healthcare informatics PDS student may be either an unclassified graduate student or in a graduate nursing program. In addition to meeting University requirements for admission (which include an application to the Graduate Admissions Office, submission of official transcripts, and an application fee), candidates will be evaluated for admission based on the following:
- Completion of a healthcare related baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75 (A=4.0).
- Evidence of completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course with a grade of C or better.
- A written statement of “Goals and Objectives” related to the reasons for pursuing a professional development sequence.
Program of Study
- NURS 509 – 3 Interdisciplinary Healthcare Informatics
- CMIS 535 – 3 Project Management Standard Processes
- CS 434 – 3 Database Management Systems
- CS 560 – Information Discovery in Electronic Healthcare Records
- PAPA 420 – Quantitative Analysis
Exit Requirements
Completion of the above-listed courses with a grade point average of at least 3.0 (A=4.0).