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Public Health Informatics Specialist |
Career OverviewOne of the most succinct definitions of the job duties of a public health informatics specialist, as defined by the Association for Schools of Public Health, is “ the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health practice, research and learning.” This definition addresses the nuts and bolts issues of public health informatics specialists job, but doesn’t include the amazing array of activities they do within a health care facility.
The role of the public health informatics specialist includes all aspects of data analysis, computations, correlations, data base management, applications, computer programs and development as well as helping the professionals and individuals involved in the public health sector understand the implications of the research and data.
The job requires excellent organization and computational skills, an above average understanding of many different computer applications and programs, the ability to work closely with a research and medical teams as well as the ability to effectively communicate the information.
One major component of the public health informatics specialist’s job is to keep the public informed of new advancements in medicines and public health issues. This means that the public health informatics specialist must be able to provide information that is accessible and appropriate for non-medically trained individuals.
Writing and communication skills are a must as highly technical information is presented in easy to understand terms. The public health informatics specialist must also be able to present the same material to public health medical personnel at a level that is helpful and appropriate. Often public health informatics specialists have a background in nursing or medical jobs and are able to relate to both the public and medical professionals.
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Career RequirementsEach employer, whether in a hospital setting, private facility or industry, will have different requirements for a public health informatics specialist, usually depending on the specialization or research that is being completed. There are certification programs in Health Informatics that are available to those nurses and other health care professionals already licensed as RNs with the hospital or private care facility.
Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate level programs are all available to focus on the health informatics area of the medical profession. These classes focus on science and technology as well as research, data collection and analysis and research systems design.
There are many associations and groups that monitor, train and support public health informatics specialists and a complete list by state and even country can be found at http://www.hiww.org/us.html.
In the United States there are several specialized certification programs on the various aspects of public health informatics. A full list of the various certifications can be seen at http://www.ahima.org/certification/.
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Job OutlookSince hospitals, long-term care facility, clinics and other private care centers are treating more and more complicated conditions the demand for a method of collecting data, analysis, sharing information and helping with the treatment planning has become critical in most settings. It is simply not possible for doctors and nurses to carry a caseload and be able to keep on top of all the advancements and new developments in the medical field.
Public health informatics specialists are needed to assist doctors and health care teams with just these aspects. As the number of patients in hospitals continues to rise the demand for trained and certified public health informatics specialists will only continue to grow.
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Career TrackOnce in the field of public health informatics specialists there are many avenues to explore. The list is limitless as to the types of jobs and careers specializations that can be completed. A brief summary of the various types of careers within the public health informatics specialist roles follows:
- Health information management
- Healthcare privacy and security
- Coding specialists
- Public Awareness managers
- Researchers
- Research assistants
- Public health informatics architects
- Public health informatics analysis
In both private and public sector medical facilities the opportunity exists to work in management positions in the Research and Development area of hospitals and clinics, especially those the complete research under grants or other outside funding sources.
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CompensationThe United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that most public health informatics specialists average a yearly income of between $52,000 and $88,000 through all the various settings that may employ informatics specialists.
Those individual public health informatics specialists that worked for the Federal Government averaged $87,200, the highest yearly salary average. Public health informatics specialists in hospitals and other care facilities had yearly salaries of $60,000 to $72,000 per year.
As with all careers the more experienced the public health informatics specialist is the more likely it is that they will earn at the higher end of the salary scale. Many public health informatics specialists earn over $100,000 per year and the salary may also be increased due to bonuses.
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Public Health Informatics Specialist Jobs |
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