Health informatics is a rapidly growing field within the healthcare industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the demand for health information technologists and other related positions is expected to grow much faster than the national average1 — opening the door to many job opportunities.
Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) is excited to introduce a new Master of Science in Health Informatics for those interested in furthering their careers by joining this growing field. Request more information about our one-year, online program here!
What Is Health Informatics?
Health informatics professionals use biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry and problem-solving. Through data analytics and artificial intelligence insights, they can drive innovations in the healthcare industry, such as making impacts in predictive medicine and tracking epidemics.
While the field can be confused with health information technology and bioinformatics, health informatics focuses on actual health data and information (including its collection, processing, analysis and use). The focus is on data and its use in decision-making, rather than providing the tools to do so. The industry’s demand for evidence-based medicine, quality improvement, and patient data security and accessibility is fueling a need for well-trained health informatics professionals.
What Do Health Informatics Professionals Do?
Professionals in this field work in various positions and carry out job duties that involve:
- Safeguarding patient data
- Collecting and analyzing data to improve health outcomes
- Optimizing data to communicate with other healthcare providers securely and efficiently
- Applying biomedical data effectively for scientific inquiry and decision-making
- Utilizing data analytics and AI to innovate healthcare
- Developing medical technology, public health strategies and digitized healthcare records
- Integrating electronic health records smoothly with existing systems for enhanced healthcare services
The field requires job candidates to have the highly specialized knowledge and skills needed to support the adoption and use of health information systems and data science tools. From data analytic skills, and the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively — MCNY’s master’s program equips students with these necessary skills.
What Are Career Areas in Health Informatics?
Those interested in making a difference in the healthcare field, but who may not want to work directly with patients as a medical professional, might be a good fit for the health informatics field. Health informatics professionals make a positive impact on patients indirectly, while also contributing to the healthcare industry.
Career areas in health informatics include:
- Public health informatics, which uses IT to educate the public, track medical research and innovate in the field.
- Organizational informatics, which studies communication and data collation within medical organizations.
- Social informatics, which researches the social impact of computerization and society’s perception of IT systems.
- Clinical informatics, which examines how IT influences clinical research, medical education and patient perception.
Where Do Professionals in This Industry Work and What Are Their Job Titles?
Everyday job duties vary across different health informatics careers, with most positions involving some type of data protection and analysis. Job settings also range widely, including private and public sector government agencies, hospitals and clinics, consulting and software firms, research institutions, and insurance companies, just to name a few.
Health informatics is a diverse field that can lead to many different career paths, including:
- Health informatics consultant
- Health informatics specialist
- Public health informaticist
- Medical and health services manager
- Management analyst
- Clinical analyst
- Clinical informatics specialist
- Nursing informatics specialist
- Pharmacy or nutrition informaticist
- Clinical informatics manager
- Informatics director
- And more!
What Is the Earning Potential Within Health Informatics?
Job titles, career paths and employment locations vary widely within the health informatics field, leading to a wide salary range as well. Below you’ll find estimated employment outlook figures for specific health information–related fields.
| BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook | 2023 Median Annual Pay | Job Growth 2022–32 |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers2 | $110,680 per year $53.21 per hour |
28% (Much faster than average) |
| Management Analysts3 | $99,410 per year $47.80 per hour |
10% (Much faster than average) |
| Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars1 | $62,990 per year $30.28 per hour |
16% (Much faster than average) |
How Do I Become a Professional in the Field of Health Informatics?
Because health informatics is a technical and business-oriented career, most related positions require a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree is typically preferred for higher-level and higher-paying roles.
The healthcare industry’s demand for evidence-based medicine, quality improvement, and patient data security and accessibility is fueling a need for well-trained health informatics professionals. Metropolitan College of New York’s Master’s in Health Informatics prepares students to meet that need by teaching them how to work with big data to improve patient outcomes.
What Does One Study in the Health Informatics Master’s Program?
In just one year, students gain a transformative master’s-level education in health informatics at MCNY. Topics of study include:
- Health informatics and health information systems
- Clinical informatics
- Healthcare information technology project management
- The business of health informatics
- Data mining and visualization
- Artificial intelligence in healthcare
- Security and privacy in health informatics
- Database management systems
- Analysis and reporting in healthcare
- Biomedical sciences and health information technology
- Leading and managing clinical information systems projects and change
- Big data and information systems
Graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively analyze real and complex health data, manage evolving health information systems, and support the continuing transition to electronic health records.
What Is the Future of the Health Informatics Field?
With the goal of improving patient care through a combination of communication, data information and healthcare, health informatics is not only a growing field but also an increasingly vital one.
The digitization of healthcare has already begun, and progression in artificial intelligence, data security standards and big data is increasingly affecting the healthcare industry. The need to respond to these changing technologies fuels the growing need for professionals prepared to lead the industry into the future.
You will join MCNY’s 12,000+ active alumni network that works throughout New York State and the country in NGOs, the healthcare industry, in the government and in government agencies. Apply to Metropolitan College of New York’s MS in Health Informatics and start learning how to make an impactful difference in healthcare today!
Sources List
1 (2024, April 17). Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/health-information-technologists-and-medical-registrars.htm
2 (2024, April 17). Medical and Health Services Managers. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm
3 (2024, April 17). Management Analysts. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm
