What Jobs Qualify a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Informatics?

Jobs in Health Informatics

With so many jobs today now requiring graduate degrees, many aspiring health informatics specialists wonder what jobs they’d be qualified for with a bachelor’s degree in health informatics. The positive news is that, while many positions do require master’s degrees, there are still many positions available to those with undergraduate degrees. Health informatics is a rapidly-growing field and one that offers excellent career growth in all areas. Here are a few of the many jobs available to those with a bachelor’s degree in health informatics.

Electronic Medical Record Keeper

Electronic medical record keepers are a vital part of the healthcare industry because they provide the health industry's system with important patient information. They enter data such as personal information, conditions, symptoms, treatments, diagnoses and any other information deemed necessary. This information is used by physicians, insurance companies, medical researchers and hospital administrators. It is the responsibility of the electronic medical record keeper to ensure the information is accurate, assign codes to patient data, collect patient information and disperse information to those who have access. Since electronic medical records are required as per the Affordable Care Act, electronic medical record keepers are very much in demand.

Nursing Informatics Specialist

Few employees are as qualified and essential to the delivery of high-quality patient care than nurses. Because of their knowledge and skill in healthcare, they are often sought out for positions as nursing informatics specialists, which are positions where they can combine their nursing care with information technology to provide the very best care to patients. Their duties include analyzing how to integrate technology into direct patient care; working to eliminate inaccuracy and redundancy in healthcare plans and training other nurses on record-keeping protocols.

Health Informatics Consultant

Although health information consultants are beginning to be required to have master’s degrees, there are still many hired for this position with a bachelor’s degree. Their main duty is to keep employment overhead costs as low as possible while still being compliant with federal regulations. Some of their duties include installing computer software, updating networks, train staff members and keeping up with current healthcare laws.

Medical Records Auditor, Analyst or Compliance Officer

These positions are listed together because their duties and responsibilities are so similar. Healthcare is an industry where it’s extremely important to be in compliance with rules and laws. These may include anything from HIPAA to CMS policies. Some medical records auditors are hired to investigate certain trends, to aggregate data or investigate individual claims. Some health informatics management specialists may also specialize in compliance issues to find ways to save money while still improving healthcare. Some compliance officers may also choose to become HIPAA experts. The possibilities are almost endless.

Health IT Project Manager

While many Healthcare IT Project Managers have a master’s degree, this position is also available to candidates who have a bachelor’s in health informatics and relevant work experience. This individual communicates and coordinates with project members to ensure that goals and objectives are being met, and the projects with will done as scheduled. They generally focus more on the technology end of things. Their duties include discussing deliveries with managers; identifying resources required for the project; and creating and implementing plans while making necessary revisions to satisfy project requirements.

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Healthcare occupations are expected to see a job growth of 18% during the 2016-2026 decade, which should result in about 2.4 million new jobs created by the year 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This positive growth should open up any new and exciting jobs for candidates with a bachelor’s in health informatics.