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Unit 1 Health Informatics Career Pathway
Transcriptionists may now be called speech recognition
editors (Figure 2.3). Their job is to correct errors made by speech
recognition software. The work is often done at home, and the
technician may be located far away from the facility. Sometimes
these workers are located in a different state or even a different
country from the facility for which they work.
Advancing in a health informatics career usually means
getting more education and experience. With a bachelor’s
or a master’s degree, experienced technicians can become
compliance or privacy offi cers, medical records managers, or
administrators. Those who advance typically possess strong
business and management skills. Work in more advanced
positions can involve long hours, and managers may have to
respond to problems at all hours of the day. They must adapt
to changing technology, interpret complex regulations, and
work to improve effi ciency while maintaining quality care.
Health Information Technology
Health information technology (HIT) focuses on the
systems that are used to manage health information and the
secure exchange of health information in a digital format.
HIT workers understand the software and hardware used to manage
and store patient data. These workers train in computer science and
provide support for the electronic health records that HIM workers use to
document a patient’s health information.
Your fascination with computers and computer systems could lead
you to an HIT career as a data analyst, systems analyst, or clinical
information system specialist. All of these jobs are centered on computer
data. Healthcare facilities need workers who can develop computer
programs to collect, share, and store patient information. Some workers
are needed to update programs and repair glitches in software. Others
make sure that the correct information is collected, and develop security
systems for maintaining the privacy of information. These jobs generally
require a bachelor’s degree. This occupational area is experiencing a high
rate of growth, so job opportunities should be plentiful in the coming years.
Health Informatics
A new group of careers—health informatics (HI)—is emerging at the
intersection of health information management and health information
technology. Health informaticists (workers in health informatics) design and
develop information systems that improve the quality, effectiveness, and
effi ciency of patient care. For example, they may study electronic health data
to document patient safety concerns, patterns of disease, or the outcomes of
various treatments. While the health informatics services pathway is broad,
including all of the careers within the pathway, the emerging fi eld of health
informatics focuses on the science of using computer technology and health
information management to advance medicine.
Students interested in informatics can consider four focused areas for
research:
Figure 2.3 Transcriptionists,
or speech recognition
editors, utilize technology
in their job every day. Many
work from home and provide
an important service to a
healthcare facility.