Additional Information
Medical informaticians entering the field usually have a master's degree
in medical informatics. Competition for jobs is increasingly high and an undergrad
or associate's degree simply isn't enough to compete.
Coursework will include medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal
aspects of health information, coding and abstraction of data, statistics,
database management, quality assurance methods and especially computer training.
Applicants can improve their chances of admission into a program by taking
biology, chemistry, health and computer courses in high school.
Many people who train in medical informatics already have a professional
degree in a health-related subject. They may also have specialized training
in business, computer science or statistics.
Some medical doctors are combining their MD with a master's degree in medical
informatics in order to step into this hot new field.
"People who, say, have an MBA and a master's in medical informatics or
an MD and a master's in medical informatics are finding them very solid combinations
for a lot of jobs, especially in industry," says Ted Shortliffe. He is a professor
and chair of the department of medical informatics at Columbia University.
Students may also choose to study at home through the American Health Information
Management Association's independent study program.
Many schools also offer an internship program which will provide students
with on-the-job training.