B.S. in Health Informatics

Health care faces significant challenges, notably uncontrolled costs, security issues, patient safety, and managing fast growing volumes of data. The profession of health informatics utilizes computers and technology to manage all aspects of health care data and information. This demand has created a need to broaden and deepen the pool of workers who are able to participate in improving the safety, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of our health care. The Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics program (BSHI) offers course content that addresses these challenges and other critical issues facing our health care system.

What You Will Study

Prepare for an exciting career in health informatics, a fast-growing occupation. You will acquire valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities that will propel your career opportunities in the field of health informatics. You will learn how and why health informatics is a vital part of our health care delivery system. You will study crucial components of health informatics including data and information, electronic medical records, differences in health care systems, ethical and legal issues, privacy and security, and assessing health care quality. You will also have opportunities to apply what you have learned in a real-world setting through an internship.

Why Health Informatics?

The B.S. in Health Informatics will provide you with strong foundational knowledge and skills in Health Informatics so that you may achieve professional success, whether your trajectory is to pursue advanced academic goals or a myriad of career opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020), “the demand for Medical Records and Health Information Technician workers is projected to increase annually by 11% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average rate for other occupations” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). Health information technology is a vital component of health care quality and outcomes, of which our health care system increasingly relies on to promote favorable patient outcomes.

Unique Opportunities

The BSHI is unique both locally and nationally for a variety of reasons:

• The undergraduate Health Informatics program is housed in the same university as the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM).
• It is the only program in the nation to offer the BSHI – D.O. dual admission options (3 + 4; 4+4).
• The program will offer a dual admission option into the MS program in Biomedical Informatics.
• The program represents a collaborative effort between two prominent colleges, the KPCOM and the College of Computing and Engineering.