I appreciate the emails I have been receiving from my readers. I may not answer my emails right away but I will eventually answer. I appreciate my readers patience. I want to post the questions my readers are asking me because it may be questions that other readers may be asking but are either too afraid to ask or are too busy to write to me. I feel there is a pattern in the questions that I am receiving.

Questions and Answers

1.)  Is Cisco certification such as CCNA necessary in the field of Healthcare Informatics?

While Cisco certification is not necessary to be hired, it isn’t bad to have if you have it already. I wouldn’t go out and get certified unless you want to do something technical. The certifications that are nice to have but not required are CPHIMS  (Certified Professional Healthcare Information and Management Systems) from Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) or the board certification in informatics (RN-BC), if you are a nurse.

2.)  Is getting a Master’s degree in Healthcare Informatics, Medical Informatics, Nursing Informatics, Biomedical Informatics or Bioinformatics pertinent in the field of healthcare informatics?

It is not necessary to have a degree in either Bioinformatics, Healthcare, Medical,  or Nursing Informatics, in order to break into the field as a systems analyst.  It is necessary to have an advanced degree if you would like to be a manager or above in healthcare informatics.  Many employers prefer that you have experience in an EMR  before any type of advanced degree.

3.)  How is the job market in this field?

This is the best time to be entering healthcare informatics especially since Meaningful use is in full swing. Many hospitals are looking for system analysts in order to qualify for meaningful use.

4.)  How do I find a job in healthcare informatics?

When I entered into the field of informatics I had a hard time finding a job too. I suggest joining HIMSS or ANIA-CARING where they have a job bank for members. In addition, to joining professional organizations, networking and attending conferences are key factors. The people you meet in these conferences may be recruiters, principal consultants or vice presidents of hospitals, vendors, or corporations.

 5.)  What is the salary range for health informaticists?

The salary depends on the area of the United States.  In 2011, HIMSS published a survey on nurse informaticists’ salaries and the average salary was $98, 702.  Salaries for each hospital are dependent if you report to the nursing department or Information Technology department.  In addition, salaries are variable to your job title.  If you would like more information about the HIMSS survey, please feel free to contact me and I can email you the survey findings.

These were the top questions I had. I hoped I answered your questions. If not, please feel free to email me any questions that you may have.