Healthcare occupations in the U.S. are growing much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rapid increase in employment will add about 1.8 million openings each year from 2022 to 2032.1 Alongside this growth is the swift development of technology for storing and analyzing health-related data.
The health informatics program concentration can help you take advantage of these flourishing careers by building your ability to identify and implement data-driven solutions in diverse healthcare settings. Add field-specific technology and best practices to your skill set and boost your leadership potential for in-demand health informatics careers.
Health Informatics Competencies
As you move through the online health informatics program coursework, you'll acquire competencies from the following courses:
Accounting Concepts
Analytics and Digital Visualization
Economics Analysis
Health Informatics
Problem Solving Methods in Health Informatics
Programming and Databases for Health Informatics
With each competency you gain, you'll hone leadership, management and problem-solving skills in addition to field-specific knowledge. You can compile highlights from your competencies into a portfolio that will demonstrate your skills to potential employers and managers.
Concentration Learning Outcomes
With essential informatics skills, you could step into positions that streamline healthcare delivery, analyze the cost of services, secure patient privacy and more. When you complete the online health informatics program, you'll be able to identify and implement best practices in:
Accessing public health data resources
Delivering efficient healthcare using population health management approaches
Designing data-driven solutions for healthcare systems
Identifying tools to use for precise, personalized medicine
Managing health-related databases
Presenting complex data analysis to stakeholders
Protecting patient privacy and security
Supporting clinical decisions with data
Using programming tools such as Python and SQL to analyze and manage databases
Visualizing data with open-source tools such as Tableau Public
Concentration Courses (18 credits)
This course introduces financial and managerial accounting, equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze, interpret and use accounting information effectively. The course covers the fundamental concepts and principles of accounting, including the financial accounting process, reporting requirements, financial statement analysis, cost accounting systems, cost-volume-profit analysis and incremental analysis. Students will gain a thorough understanding of how accounting information is used to make informed business decisions and assess the financial performance of organizations.
This course introduces data visualization and modeling techniques in a data-rich business setting. It covers the process of formulating business objectives, data preparation and study design, followed by implementation and evaluation of predictive models for a variety of practical business applications. The course takes a learning-by-doing approach with the use of industry best practice technology.
This course covers fundamental topics in programming and database systems for health informatics. Students are introduced to general programming principles using the Python language and core concepts of database processing and systems. Several database models are explored with emphasis on the relational model. Students will develop software applications to manipulate large sets to solve a variety of health informatics problems. Additionally, students will create, load and access a database using an existing database management system. Restricted to students enrolled in competency-based education program only.
This course will provide a broad overview of data science and statistics concepts, methodologies, implementation techniques and programming. Topics will include supervised and unsupervised learning models, quality control and optimization via linear programming. Applications to organizational operations are emphasized.
This course introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts, equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze, interpret and use economic information effectively. The course covers the fundamentals of production and market analysis and introduces students to macroeconomic models and policy. Students will be able to characterize production and trade utilizing concepts of opportunity costs and comparative advantage, analyze the effect of changing economic conditions on market outcomes and interpret macroeconomic models to analyze economic policy.
This course introduces fundamental terminologies and components in health informatics. Through case studies, students are exposed to important and current topics, including electronic medical records (EMR), Electronic Health Records (EHR), health data and ethics, standards and sourcing in administrative, clinical and financial aspects of healthcare.
Take Part in Flourishing Health Informatics Careers
With your B.P.S. in Health Informatics, you can pursue a career as a health informaticist, health information technologist, medical registrar and more. Because the online health informatics program also emphasizes leadership skills, you can start your journey toward roles with additional management responsibilities.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that overall employment growth for health information technologists and medical registrars in the U.S. will add about 3,100 openings each year from 2022-2032.2 Of those jobs, management roles for companies and enterprises make the highest median annual wage – $77,170 compared to $62,990 for the group as a whole.2
Top-Paying Health Informatics Careers
Settings for health information technologists and medical registrars with some of the highest median annual pay as of May 2023, include:2
Management of companies and enterprises: $77,170/year
Administrative and support services: $67,920/year
Professional, scientific and technical services: $66,470/year
Hospitals (state, local, and private): $62,580/year
Yes, your advisors can help you move to another concentration if desired.
The online B.P.S. Health Informatics concentration allows you to build essential leadership skills while focusing your study on how data-driven solutions are utilized in healthcare systems. This concentration boosts your potential for in-demand health informatics careers.
With the B.P.S. in Health Informatics, you can pursue a career as a health informaticist, health information technologist, medical registrar and more. Because the B.P.S. program also emphasizes leadership skills, you can pursue roles with additional management responsibilities. Additional career trajectories include:
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. "Healthcare Occupations." April 17, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm.
By submitting this form, I am providing my digital signature agreeing that Winthrop University and its agent, Risepoint, may email me or contact me regarding educational services by telephone and/or text message utilizing automated technology or a pre-recorded message at the telephone number(s) provided above. I understand this consent is not a condition to attend Winthrop University or to purchase any other goods or services. Privacy Policy. SMS Terms.
To download your free program brochure and learn more about Winthrop University’s online program, please complete the form below.