Continuing your education with a Health Informatics Degree
Continuing your education can sometimes sound scary but it doesn’t have to be. You can continue your education and advance your career through the health informatics program at Regis University. Regis offers both a certificate program for those who want to gain basic knowledge in the field and a master’s degree program for those who have a background in health and are looking to expand their knowledge.
What is a health informatics certificate?
Not to be mistaken for a master’s degree in health informatics, a graduate certificate can be seen as “specialized training” in a certain field. This program takes a shorter amount of time to complete and would require a shorter course load compared to a degree. It is targeted towards those who have a passion for health or patient care but may not have the time or resources to pursue a degree.
Is it worth it to continue in Health Informatics?
Opportunities are ever-expanding in the field of health informatics and big data. Companies around the world are looking for individuals with the knowledge to understand this data. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics , about 14,900 jobs in this field are opening each year. Professionals in the field can expect an average salary of $84,915 nationwide according to ZipRecruiter.
Regis provides the opportunity to take advantage of this demand and offers two ways to do it.
Overall, both paths will give you the basic knowledge you need to pursue a career in health informatics. A master’s degree requires a longer commitment but provides the opportunity to explore subjects in more depth and gain more extensive knowledge.
If you want the basic knowledge and want to save time and money, the certificate is the choice for you.
The Right Program for Busy Professionals
Many professionals think about going back to school at some point, but do not have the time or means when juggling work, family and bills. If you are thinking about pursuing a career in patient care or health care systems, but you are a busy professional, which program is right for you will depend on:
- Your current experience in healthcare, healthcare systems, IT and business operations
- Your career goals
- The time and resources you’re prepared to dedicate to advancing your education.
If you work in a related field or just want to pursue a new field while working full time, the certificate option will give you the opportunity to:
- Gain knowledge in a specialized area
- Further your own career
- Network with other working professionals
- Prepare for a future graduate degree
- Start a new career in something you love.
If you’ve already been working in healthcare or IT and you’re ready to commit to a career in health informatics, or if you hope to take on leadership roles, the degree in health informatics will give you the foundation you need to:
- Navigate both healthcare and IT
- Assess and make decisions about facility technology
- Lead your organization in using technology to improve patient care
What does a Regis health informatics education include?
The graduate certificate program consists of online courses, and it takes about six to 12 months to complete. Expect to start in either January or October. The program has a requirement of at least 12 credit hour courses including Health Care Performance Evaluation, Workflow and Change Management in Adoption of Health IT, and more. All the courses in this program can be transferred to the master’s program.
If you want to look further into your education, then you will be looking for the Master of Science in Health Informatics degree, which takes about 12 to 24 months (about 2 years) to complete. The degree program start time is flexible, allowing you to begin the program almost any month between January and October. Although you are required to complete 36 credits, you will have accelerated online courses.
For both programs, individual course grades must be at least a “C”, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (B) to earn the credential.
What should you choose?
Ultimately, it is your choice which health informatics program is right for you. In either program, you will get specialized training from professionals in health informatics and gain the knowledge and skills you need for a successful and lucrative career. If the certificate program is your choice, and you later decide to pursue a master’s degree, your credits will transfer at Regis.
Whichever program you choose will both expand your knowledge and lead you to a rewarding career.
Ready to take the next step? Learn more about our health informatics master’s and certificate programs.