Can I get a Health Informatics Degree Online?

The unavoidable increase in computer usage has created a new sector in the job market requiring an online health informatics degree. With a variety of names like nursing informatics, medical informatics, clinical informatics, or biomedical informatics, healthcare informatics is a discipline that combines concepts of information science, health care, and computer science. Focusing on the methods, resources, and tools needed to optimize the storage and retrieval of information, health informatics has become one of the most popular majors in the 21st century. With the integration of digital databases in healthcare systems and the need to keep track of this store information, many colleges are starting to offer degrees in health informatics. For example, Georgia State University has introduced a health informatics degree program to their undergraduate curriculum. Despite the appeal of dedicating four years to going to college, a health informatics degree is available online. Online universities are much more convenient because they allow students to learn at their own pace and complete lessons at their own convenience. 

Specialization

Health informatics can be divided into a set of smaller, more specialized, subdisciplines. Clinical informatics involves the use of information by health care clinicians. By implementing and analyzing information and communications systems. individual health care is improved and patient care is strengthened. Clinicians use health informatics to assess valuable information needed by health care professionals and patients for clinical processes. By collaborating with information technology specialists, tools can be implemented to promote safe and effective patient care. Bioinformatics is a specialized field that utilzes the human genome and biostatistics in combination with informatics to provide cutting edge healthcare options for patients. Bioinformatics helps doctors develop links between biological features and clinical information in order to provide more educated diagnoses of patients.

The Importance of Health Informatics

The variety and multifaceted nature of health informatics is based on the relationship between information technology and health. Technological advances in computer science simply cannot be ignored by the healthcare industry in the twenty first century. Healthcare professionals wishing to advance their careers often consider an online health informatics degree program. In fact according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the job outlook for health informatics is expected to grow exponentially within the next decade. Health informatics is one of the most integrated and varied fields in health care as it involves technology, human input, and biological data. People educated in health informatics have the ability to store, retrieve, acquire, and optimize health information quickly and effectively. Individuals in the nursing industry as well as those with strong knowledge of technology often find it very easy to transition into the world of health informatics.

Overall Future and Job Security

The health informatics field is expecting a huge boom in the coming decade. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that health informatics is expected to grow up to 22 percent between 2010 and 2020. This impending growth is guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 passed by the Obama Administration. Most Americans will have access to quality healthcare, which means jobs will always be available for healthcare providers. Advance your career and make a comfortable living by obtaining an online health informatics degree.