High School

In high school, take as many computer science (especially programming and database management), data analysis, mathematics, statistics, biology, and health classes as possible. Other recommended courses include English, speech, and social studies.

Postsecondary Education

Forty-five percent of health informaticists have a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET OnLine. Forty-one percent have a master’s degree, and 5 percent have an associate’s degree.

Health informaticists often have degrees in biomedical, clinical, nursing, or health informatics. Many earn certificates or pursue academic concentrations in data science or analytics. Some informaticists have degrees in programming or other IT fields and then augment this training with a certificate and/or degree in health informatics. Visit https://amia.org/careers-certifications/informatics-academic-programs for a list of academic and training programs in biomedical, health, and nursing informatics that are offered by the American Medical Informatics Association’s Academic Forum Members.

Typical courses in a graduate-level health informatics program include Introduction to Health Informatics; Security and Privacy; Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Health; and Systems Analysis and Design. Some schools offer specializations within health informatics. For example, Michigan Technological University offers the following specializations: Healthcare Information Security and Privacy; Healthcare Data Informatics and Visualization; and Imaging Informatics.  

Certification

Earning a certificate in health informatics is a good way to learn more about the field without having to make a huge financial investment that is required to enroll in a degree program. A growing number of colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificates in health informatics, nursing informatics, and related areas. For example, Loyola University Chicago offers a certificate in health informatics to students who complete the following courses: Foundations of Health Informatics, Clinical Data Science, Security and Privacy in Healthcare, Translational Bioinformatics, and Ontologies in Health. Drexel University, Boston University, and the University of South Florida also offer certificate programs.

Other Education or Training

Many health informatics associations offer in-person and online continuing education (CE) classes. They are a good way to stay up to date with emerging technology and other trends, and CE courses are often required to become certified or re-certified. The American Medical Informatics Association offers virtual courses such as Health Informatics, Clinical Decision Support, and Introduction to Biomedical and Health Informatics, as well as professional development opportunities at its Clinical Informatics Conference. The American Health Information Management Association, American Nursing Informatics Association, and organizations at the local and state levels also offer CE classes and webinars. Contact these organizations to learn more.

Certification or Licensing

Voluntary certification is available from several health informatics associations. For example, the American Medical Informatics Association (via its Health Informatics Certification Commission) offers the certified health informatics professional credential to applicants who pass an examination and have a graduate degree in health informatics or a related field and possess “qualifying” health informatics experience. The credential will be useful for data scientists and analysts, researchers, clinicians (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, dieticians), public health professionals; and health informaticists in other areas. Visit https://amia.org/careers-certifications/amia-health-informatics-certification-ahic for more information. The American Health Information Management Association and the American Nurses Credentialing Center also provide certification.

A minimum of an internship or participation in another form of experiential learning, plus a college degree, is required for entry-level jobs. Several years of experience in entry-level informatics jobs is required to be eligible for higher-level positions.

In addition to excellent technical skills and knowledge, health informaticists must have a detail-oriented personality, have strong analytical and research skills, be intellectually curious, have excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities, and possess strong communication and interpersonal skills. Some employers prefer candidates with knowledge of a particular health care field such as oncology or epidemiology.