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What is a health informatics specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A health informatics specialist is an expert in bridging information technology (IT) and healthcare administration. You work hand in hand with healthcare providers to develop computerized systems for tracking, managing, and processing patient records. Your job is to design and develop IT-enabled systems that can obtain, process, store and retrieve patient information. You will be involved in the maintenance of these systems as well as the uploading and transferring of patient information across networks. You will also train staff on the use and management of this system and provide technical support whenever necessary.

Your role requires you to have a broad knowledge of information technology, data management, and analysis, as well as healthcare administration. This position requires you to have a medical background. It might be a bachelor's degree in nursing science, medical laboratory science, or a related field. After your first degree, you will then be expected to possess a master's degree in health administration or health informatics. At the entry level, you will make about $35.24 hourly, which amounts to about $73,309 annually.

ScoreHealth Informatics SpecialistUS Average
Salary
7.1

Avg. Salary $91,323

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.7

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.44%

Black or African American 10.60%

Hispanic or Latino 11.30%

Unknown 5.03%

White 58.45%

Gender

female 59.42%

male 40.58%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress level
7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a health informatics specialist

  1. Explore health informatics specialist education requirements

    Most common health informatics specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    51.6 %

    Master's

    23.4 %

    Associate

    13.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific health informatics specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patient Care23.66%
    EMR11.67%
    HIPAA9.17%
    Data Analysis8.07%
    Epic6.78%
  3. Complete relevant health informatics specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health informatics specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a health informatics specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health informatics specialist resumes.
  4. Research health informatics specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Lead audit of policies and practices to ensure compliance with HIPAA rules and regulations.
    • Assist with designing, managing, building and coordinating information processing for Cerner implementation.
    • Learned SAS and SQL to complete programming tasks independently.
    • Act as a resource for physician and staff post implementation of CPOE
  5. Apply for health informatics specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a health informatics specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first health informatics specialist job

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Average health informatics specialist salary

The average health informatics specialist salary in the United States is $91,323 per year or $44 per hour. Health informatics specialist salaries range between $65,000 and $126,000 per year.

Average health informatics specialist salary
$91,323 Yearly
$43.91 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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