Master of Science in Medical Informatics
Degree Overview
The Master of Science in Medical Informatics (MMI) degree is an interdisciplinary program that prepares clinically trained health professionals and individuals with information technology backgrounds to provide IT services to the medical community with the goal of improving patient outcomes. The students learn to manage, design, analyze and integrate computer information systems for multiple aspects of the health care delivery system. The MMI program may be divided into a two-track system, where one track is for IT professionals and one is for students from the health care field. Length of study depends on the program chosen and the student’s schedule, but it is possible to earn a degree in 18 months at some institutions. Online and part-time programs are available to allow professionals to obtain a degree while continuing their careers.
Benefits
What are the benefits of obtaining a Master in Science in Medical Informatics?
- Medical Informatics is a rapidly growing field. The department of labor estimates a 16% increase in all medical and health service management fields between 2006 and 2016.*
- Individuals with an information technology background can learn to apply their skills to the health care field, thereby giving themselves more career opportunities.
- Individuals already in the health care field can assume greater responsibilities and obtain careers with greater diversity and earning power.
- The MMI is a flexible degree that can be applied to information systems in all aspects of the health care delivery system.
- There are a growing number of initiatives to improve the exchange of health information electronically. This will lead to greater demand for professionals with advanced degrees in medical informatics.
Areas of Study
Every program offering the MMI will have a unique curriculum. The following list contains topics that are common in MMI courses. Contact the individual institutions for an exact course listing.
- Telecommunications and Computer Networks
- Introduction to Databases
- The American Health Care System
- Clinical Thinking
- Biostatistics
- Health Care Operations
- Legal, Ethical and Social Issues
- Health Care Information Technology
- Management of Health Care
- Leadership Skills
- Communication Skills in Health Informatics
- Health Information Systems Analysis and Design
- Health Care Information Security
- Decision Support Systems and Health Care
- Medical Technology Acquisition and Assessment
- Medical language
Career Opportunities
Traditionally, MMI graduates offer Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) design, analysis and support to various companies and institutions across the health care spectrum. The following is a list of career opportunities for graduates with an MMI. This list is not comprehensive; it offers examples of possible career paths.
- HIT support for private medical practitioners, hospitals, or private health care services
- Management of medical records for insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, regional health information organizations, or personal health records systems
- Careers at medical software companies, government agencies, and public health organizations
What You Need to Know
Many programs offer entirely online courses. A Bachelor’s degree is required for entry into the MMI program. The type of Bachelor’s degree that is accepted may vary. Some institutions require a specific GPA during the student’s undergraduate academic career. The MMI program may be offered only to students with a health care background, or an information technologies background or both. Often, the students are required to study whichever field they are less familiar with. A student with an IT background may be expected to fulfill extra coursework based on the health care system and a student with a health care background may be expected to fulfill extra coursework in information technology or other computer courses. There is usually a general body of coursework that all students will follow.
Requirements
Most MMI programs will require a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Transcripts from the institution where the student completed the undergraduate degree will be required. Some programs offer credit for previous course work or professional experience. Some institutions expect students to have maintained a certain GPA during their undergraduate academic career. In some cases, the student is expected to have taken courses in the computer sciences during their undergraduate studies.
Accreditation
The American National Standards Institute does offers accreditation by the Healthcare Informatics Standards Board.
ANSI – American National Standards Institute
www.ansi.org
Professional Organizations
The following are examples of professional organizations for the field of medical informatics. They offer informatics professionals resources both throughout the United States and around the world.
IMIA – International Medical Informatics Association
www.imia.org/
AMIA – American Medical Informatics Association
www.amia.org