Health Informatics Essay

History of Healthc ar informaticsIt wasnt until the 1950s, that informatics started to germinate off, when Robert Ledley utilise computing devices in dental projects with the National Bureau of Standards. In the 1960s doctors, graduate students, and computer specialists began creating diagnostic systems and other medical exam computer programs. In the late 1960s, the MUMPs programming system was created to integrate medical databases and is still personad today (The History, n.d.).In recent years, health informatics has exploded with president Obamas 2009 federal official Stimulus Package, which has allocated millions of dollars for funding of health care informatics development and utilization. The package states a goal that by 2014, every resident will have an electronic health record (Sorgen, 2010). Given this stimulus, the U.S. Department of tug predicts a 49% job growth and the U.S. News & World Report named healthcare Informatics as one of the top careers today (Health Informatics Career, n.d.). What is Healthcare Informatics?According to the American Health training way Association, healthcare Informatics was adapted from the French term for computer have intercourse (Informatique), in the 1970s in order to capture the emerging science of information and computer engineering science that was utilise in healthcare. Health and aesculapian Informatics is often used interchangeably but both pertain to Healthcare Informatics. Healthcare Informatics is the multidisciplinary scientific field concerned with the acquisition, storage, retrieval, communication and optimal use of health information for problem solving and decision making.Health Informatics enhances the development and assessment tools used representing medical data, aiding medical decision making, defining medical language and classification systems, as well computer aided learning and healthcare IT strategy (Health Informatics Career, n.d.). whatever of the technologies that Health care Informaticians manage take PDAs, telemedicine, digital imaging, digital libraries/websites, email system and clinical support systems, and electronic medical records. According toWorldwidelearn.com, in order to succeed in Healthcare Informatics, one should possess certain skills and aptitudes.These accommodate but are not limited to attention to detail, excellent verbal/written communication, problem solver, ability to engage independently, outline knowledge of computer hardware/software, good customer service skills, grace under pressure, ability to sour with a wide variety of associates (doctors, nurses, programmers, managers, administrators), and a desire to help the medical community. To see if this career is the discipline for you you can do research online, attend seminars, take aptitude tests and talk to working professionals in Informatics. fostering and Training RequirementsThere seems to be a wide variety of schooling and educational backgrounds for profession als currently working, in Healthcare Informatics. Many nurses working in this field have received on the job delaying or managed online support programs. Many professionals currently working in this field have excessively received a score in other specialty areas. According to the Healthcare Information and guidance Systems Societys 2011 tidy sum, fifteen percent of respondents received on the job training while 50 six percent reported having Post-graduate degrees in Nursing or other specialties.Fifteen percent were without delay taking an informatics class online or by dint of their institution. There are online certification programs that exist for take working healthcare professionals that already have obtained a bachelors degree. These programs educate people on the basic skills and knowledge needed to design, implement and monitor electronic medical data systems. Some of the coursework includes electronic records, data standards, system analysis, and design and infor mation literacy.A bachelors degree in Healthcare Informatics, provides a sound knowledge base of electronic medical systems in order to improve sickness prevention, healthcare reimbursement and resource allocation. Some of the coursework includes medical terminology, anatomy/physiology, statistics, revenue cycle solicitude, finance, computer systems and health records. master and PhD programs focus more on the design of medical information systems.Some of the coursework includes emerging healthcare technologies, Informatics design and usability, genomics/bioinformatics, research, change management, and database security and design (Health Care Informatics statement, n.d.). Many degree programs also offer opportunities to specialize in certain areas, such as nursing informatics, dental informatics, pharmaceutic informatics, public health informatics, bioinformatics, research informatics, imaging informatics and consumer health informatics (Hersh, 2009). Companies will sometimes tr ain employees on the job, if they take certain certification programs. However, with higher(prenominal) educations comes an add in salary, benefits and job positions. Many post-graduate degrees give way doors for management and executive opportunities. deposition in Nursing InformaticsUnfortunately, when it comes to working in nursing informatics, having a degree in the field is not enough. Certification can also be useful. Being bear witness involves passing an exam showing proficiency in the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with nursing informatics. Some benefits of certification include recognition for professional achievement, higher salary, and more opportunities for promotion (Lewis, 2011). Currently, there are two ways a nurse can be certified in nursing informatics.The most common way is through the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center (ANCC) (HIMSS, 2011). The ANCC offers an exam for eligible individuals. In order to sit for the exam, the individual mustiness hold a current RN license, have at least(prenominal) two years luxuriant time experience as an RN, possess a bachelors degree or higher in nursing or a bachelors degree in a pertinent field, finish 30 hours of continuing education in informatics all over the past 3 years, and complete the appropriate number of practicum requirements. Practicum requirements include the following at least 2,000 hours in informatics nursing over the past three years 1,000 hours in the last three years and completed at least 12 semester hours in a graduate level nursing informatics program or showtime from a graduate nursing informatics program where at least 200 hours of supervised practicum took place. A variety of study guides, groups, and courses are available for the individual wishing to take the ANCC Nursing Informatics Certification Exam (Lewis, 2011).HIMSS also offers an option for nurses to become certified in nursing informatics. According to the HIMSS website (n. d.), candidates who wish to take the CPHIMS exam must meet one of the following requirements. The individual should have a bachelors degree in addition to five years of experience in associated information and management systems, with three of them taking place in the healthcare field, or the candidate should have a masters degree in addition to three years experience, with two of them in healthcare. The associated information and management systems experience could take place in administration or management, clinical information systems, information systems, e-health, or management engineering. Compensation and BenefitsNursing informatics is a career in which its workers have seen a significant increase in salary since 2004 (HIMSS, 2011). According to the HIMSS 2011 Nursing Informatics pop offforce Survey, the average salary of nursing informaticists in 2004 was $69,500, but in 2011 it had increased to $98,703. Reported salaries tended to be higher in the New England and the Pacif ic regions. When sounding at the different settings one can work in, those employ by consulting firms had the highest average salary ($153,576) with those employed by vendor organizations achieving the second highest average salary ($108,773). Those working in academics saw an increase in salary since the 2007 survey with an average of $101,346. Certification in nursing informatics also made a difference. Nurses certified by ANCC averaged $119,644 and those certified by CPHIMS averaged $110,291. On the other hand, nurses who did not attain certification had a lower average salary of $93,787.Many of the respondents to the HIMSS (2011) survey also reported receiving benefits in addition to their salary. Medical and dental insurance were the most common benefits followed by 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plans. Other frequently include benefits were life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, and tuition reimbursement. It was noted that 34 percent of respondents received a bonus. Work EnvironmentOne of the advantages of becoming a nurse informaticist is the wide variety of work environments. Most work in a hospital setting, spending very little time on clinical activities. Some work at corporate offices of healthcare systems and others work in academics (HIMSS, 2011). A small number of respondents to the HIMSS (2011) survey worked for consulting firms or vendors. Nurse informaticists can also find employment at ambulatory facilities, home health agencies, managed care or insurance companies, and government or military facilities. ReferencesAmerican Health Information Management Association (2012). Joint AMIA/AHIMASummary of their Relationship and Link to the Informatics Field. Retrieved fromhttp///www.ahima.org/about/informatics.aspxGuide to College study in Medical Informatics. Retrieved fromhttp//wwwworldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/health-medical/medical-informatics-major.htmHealthcare Information and Management Systems Society (n.d.). C PHIMS Become certified. Retrieved from http//www.himss.org/asp/certification_cphimsApply.asp Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (2011). HIMSS 2011 nursing informatics workforce survey. Retrieved from http//www.himss.org/content/files/2011HIMSSNursingInformaticsWorkforceSurvey.pdf Health Care Informatics Education and Training Program Summaries. Retrieved from http//www.education-portal.com/articles/Heath_Care_Informatics_Education_and_Training_Program_Summaries.htmlHealth Informatics Career and Training Profile. Retrieved from http//www.allhealthcaredegrees.com/career/informatics.htm Hersh, W. (2009). A Stimulus to condition Informatics and Health Information Technology. Retrieved from http//www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6947/9/24 Lewis, A. (2011). How to successfully pass the nursing informatics certification exam. ANIA-CARING Newsletter, 26(3), 10-12. Sorgen, C.( 2010). Medical Informatics A Healthcare Profession Snapshot. Retrieved fromhttp//www.washingtonpost.co mThe History of Healthcare Informatics. Retrieved fromView as multi-pages