As technology relentlessly advances in leaps and bounds in the healthcare industry, so does the need for nurses to identify, manage, and communicate essential data.
By interpreting and disseminating vital healthcare information, informatics nurses improve patient outcomes, reduce clinical errors, and deliver life-saving results for patients and staff in clinical procedures.
Academic institutions continually upgrade their Master’s (MS) programs to keep their students updated on the latest nursing informatics methodologies based on findings regarding care delivery and patient outcomes.
Michigan is at the forefront of many states in the country looking to improve educational models, with many universities offering high-quality nursing informatics programs.
Nursing Informatics Programs in Michigan
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering nursing informatics programs in Michigan:
- Michigan Technological University
- Grand Valley State University
- University of Michigan – Dearborn
- Wake Forest University
- Capella University
- Grand Canyon University
Michigan Technological University
Known as a flagship research university that was founded in 1885, the Michigan Technological University campus is located in the Upper Peninsula with a great view of the Keweenaw Waterway. Located just a few miles from Lake Superior, the waterfront campus boasts a great melting pot of education, technology, and diversity.
Master of Science in Health Informatics
The program equips students with a wide range of career environments that include research laboratories, healthcare systems, and government organizations. Students will immerse themselves in the multidisciplinary field of informatics.
These include ethics, security, data privacy, telemedicine, consumer health informatics, international healthcare systems, health development, interoperability, translational research informatics, and decision support systems.
The health informatics program has two main choices: on-campus education and online learning. Under on-campus education, there are four options, whereas online learning has two options to choose from.
On-Campus Program – MS Health Informatics through Thesis
Students are required to submit a research thesis supervised by the advisor. The scope of the thesis research topic would take around 20 credit hours for the coursework.
The thesis research for this particular program can take from 6 to 10 credit hours, depending on the student’s chosen subjects. The expected duration is 12 months or three semesters.
On-Campus Program – MS Health Informatics through Report
Under this program, students are required to submit a report on independent study project results. The total credit hours run for 30, with 24 credit hours allocated in coursework.
This is a bit longer than the thesis option but can be easily completed as long as the student has the right amount of commitment. The expected duration of the program is 12 months or an equivalent of three semesters.
On-Campus Program – MS Health Informatics through Coursework
This option requires students to earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in coursework. There is a limited number of research credits in the course, which must be approved by the advisor, department, and graduate school in order for the student to proceed.
On-Campus Program – Accelerated MS Health Informatics
The accelerated program allows students to get their Master’s degree through a faster and easier route. The accelerated program speeds up the career paths of students who have health and technology interests. This program can allow up to six approved credits from the student’s Bachelor’s degree.
Online Program – MS Health Informatics
This is a more flexible program than the ones that require a physical presence on campus. This online program is ideal for busy working professionals who need to optimize their available hours in the day. The program can take students to complete 30 credit hours, or 10 courses, in five semesters.
Online Program – Accelerated MS Health Informatics
An online option for students looking for an accelerated career track, this program can produce both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in as little as 5 years. The added benefit of this online track is that it allows students flexibility in terms of time and place. Students get to learn at their own pace as long as they submit their requirements on time.
Grand Valley State University
Established in 1960, Grand Valley State University is a public academic institution located in Allendale, Michigan. One of its missions in health informatics is to educate and train students and graduates for healthcare and research leadership roles.
These can include careers in biotechnology and pharmacology that require exceptional interdisciplinary skills in data analysis and application.
By offering solid conceptual foundations for its students, the university aims to provide its graduates with well-rounded experiential knowledge on ethical, social, legal, and technological issues.
On-Campus Program – Master of Science in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics
The program has four common core courses totaling 12 credit hours. A seminar course has 2 credit hours while five directed courses total 15 credit hours. Students get to choose from two-course sequences as well, getting up to 6 to 9 credit hours.
The internship program requires 1 to 9 credit hours, with a medical and bioinformatics capstone of 3 credit hours. The university also requires students to finish all courses within 8 consecutive years. This starts from the initial academic entry and into the first graduate course.
University of Michigan
Recognizing the need for more nurses in health informatics, the University of Michigan created its program in an effort to supply the healthcare demand. Its curriculum is designed to build transformative leaders in different fields.
The university seeks produce graduates with a focus on interdisciplinary skills and knowledge in the healthcare design, development, adoption, and application of information technology (IT) on healthcare services delivery, planning, and management.
Hybrid Program – Master of Science in Health Informatics
Just like most universities offering a Master’s degree in Health Informatics, the University of Michigan requires an accredited Bachelor’s degree from its students with at least a year of healthcare experience.
It has a web-blended curriculum that allows students to incorporate self-paced learning while experiencing on-campus engagements. The program runs on 52 credits over a two-year duration on campus.
There are several areas in its core course programs, with many focusing on the health system and organizational studies, facilitating change with health informatics and its methods, tools, and techniques.
University of Michigan – Dearborn
Just like its Ann Arbor campus, the University of Michigan located in Dearborn focuses on providing high-quality health informatics education for its students. In this program, students with interests in IT and healthcare are able to blend both into a fulfilling career choice.
The program is qualified for the United States Department of Homeland Security as a STEM degree designation. Graduates are eligible to participate in an Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM extension program for 24 months.
On-Campus Program – Master of Science in Health Informatics
For students looking for another option at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the one in Dearborn is a great choice. Enrollees can look forward to the same level of high-quality education in a different learning environment.
The program allows students to learn important hospital information technology while requiring 30 credit hours, which can take two to three calendar years to complete. Classes are available for full-time and part-time students, as they are scheduled late in the afternoon and in the evening to accommodate working professionals.
Job Opportunities and Salaries in Michigan for MS Health Informatics Degree Holders
According to the from the Economic Modeling Specialist International (EMSI), Michigan is posed to see a 13 percent increase in health informatics and bioinformatics by 2025. As the sector continues to grow in demand, professionals in the health informatics field should see growth from their current average salary, which stands at $77,234.
In another survey, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) reported that 66 percent of respondents had a Master’s degree in nursing, nursing informatics, and a similar field.
Typically, graduates in healthcare and nursing informatics hold the following positions:
- Nursing Informatics Specialist
- Health Information Specialist
- Nursing Informatics Educator
- Clinical Analyst
- Chief Nursing Officers
- Chief Nursing Informatics Officer
- Health Information Manager
- Clinical Scientists
- Clinical Informatics Specialist
- Healthcare Analyst
- Health Information Specialist
- Nursing Informatics Project Managers
Health informatics and bioinformatics can expect to work in the following fields:
- Hospital and Doctor’s Offices
- Primary Care Facilities
- Insurance Companies
- Pharmacies
- Consulting Firms
- Government Agencies
Here, they can focus on their general or specific fields of interest, such as:
- Analyzing healthcare and records data
- Identifying the stability and operability of the system
- Managing digital or hard copies of patient health records
- Recovering data or important patient information
- Developing information-based systems on existing care standards
- Developing electronic health record interfaces for patients
- Organizing and maintaining patient health charts
- Ensuring data privacy and security
- Developing unique systems for the organization to serve patient needs
- Imaging informatics and dissemination
- Analyzing and interpreting test results
- Building decision support systems
- Working with government agencies to ensure legal healthcare compatibility
As the field of health informatics continues to grow and evolve, the healthcare population will need it more greatly to receive better and more accurate care services.
Once healthcare disparities have been detected, analyzed, and resolved, target populations will enjoy healthcare that is more preemptive and preventative.
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