There is a growing demand for individuals with Healthcare Informatics degrees as the need to collect and maintain data related to patient care increases.
This field of study focuses on:
- information technology
- healthcare
- management
Individuals with this degree frequently work with medical facilities, like hospitals, to meet government requirements for medical record keeping. They also ensure that data is stored in a secure manner.
As with any other degree, it’s important to find a minor that works well with your major. There are a number of minors that can complement this major since the Healthcare Informatics major touches on:
- science
- computers
- medical topics
Nursing Informatics Minor
One of the most obvious minors to choose to go with a major in Healthcare Informatics is Nursing Informatics. Both fields of study involve:
- IT
- managing health records
- meeting regulatory demands
But while Healthcare Informatics focuses on business interests, Nursing Informatics is geared more towards patient care. There is a lot of overlap in these fields. Topics related to managing and interpreting data as well as integrating ICD-10 into systems are covered in both. This combination of major and minor enables an individual to be familiar with how care is handled and can be improved upon at both the patient and the business levels.
Information Systems Minor
If one of your main reasons for earning a degree in Healthcare Informatics is your interest in IT, you may want to pursue a minor in Information Systems. This minor will help flesh out some of what you are learning as part of your major, and it focuses on:
- technology
- data management
- project management systems
Courses required for this minor will often include:
- business communication
- business management
- accounting
All of these may be helpful for someone looking to get a job in a field that uses IT to manage health care.
Health Administration Minor
Yet another minor that goes naturally with a major in Healthcare Informatics is Health Administration. A minor in Health Administration involves coursework related to healthcare policy and healthcare delivery management. These are likely to be a major part of any job you’ll get once you graduate. Along with learning about how to operate healthcare systems, you are also likely to be taught about:
- human resources management
- financial management
- quality evaluations of healthcare systems and processes.
Computer Science Minor
Having a strong basis in computers, networks and programming can be very helpful if you’re seeking a degree in Healthcare Informatics. A minor in Computer Science will help you learn about a variety of IT topics. Healthcare information is now being managed in a number of ways. It may be beneficial to have an idea of what options are available for collecting and storing data. You’ll also likely learn about data protection and network security. These are a major part of creating and maintaining systems to manage health care records.
Health Policy Minor
If you’re going to be managing data or creating systems that do, it’s a good idea to have a solid understanding of health care policies. There are a number of rules for how data is supposed to be managed and how patients are to be cared for. A minor in Health Care Policy can help you become familiar with regulations at the state and federal levels. They’ll also help you understand how they are developed.
There are a variety of minors that work well with a major in Healthcare Informatics. Which you choose will likely depend on whether your interest lies more with health care policy or the IT aspects of your chosen degree. It’s a versatile major, so you’ve got a lot of options.