Florida is known for its warm weather, fantastic beaches, and scrumptious seafood. Beloved by people of all ages, the Sunshine State has a current population of 22 million for 2022. As with many states, Florida faces some health issues that require professional health informatics and analytics interpretation.
This is especially true for the aging population, with many of the elderly requiring monitoring and maintenance. With the rapid rise in technology, managing health populations has improved. However, data still has to be processed, evaluated, and clearly understood before measurable actions are taken.
Health professionals specializing in health informatics are vital in forming clear and actionable healthcare programs. With the healthcare professionals showing signs of shortage, Florida’s academic institutions are ramping up their Master’s (MS) programs to meet the ever-increasing demand, especially for those engaged in healthcare informatics.
Below is a list of the top universities that offer a Master’s degree in nursing informatics and analytics. You can browse through offered programs and coursework details to help you narrow down your career advancement choices.
Study Nursing Informatics in Florida
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering nursing informatics programs in Florida:
- Florida International University
- University of Central Florida
- Jacksonville University
- University of South Florida
- Wake Forest University
Florida International University (FIU)
This university is focused on producing graduates that stand out in any community, resulting in Florida International University (FIU) being accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.
This distinction extends only to the top 5 percent of worldwide elite business schools where leadership skills are taught, practiced, and honed. As a result, graduates end up as lifelong leadership learners on the global scene.
MS in Health Informatics and Analytics (MSHIA)
This program prepares students for the world of healthcare as information systems professionals, healthcare support personnel, and healthcare managers, among many others.
MSHIA is a fully online program that takes 16 months to complete. During the program, students will participate in experiential coursework while building a large community network among diverse groups of professionals who will enrich their personal and professional lives.
Despite being an online program, participants regularly interact with fellow students, staff, and employees as needed. The MSHIA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), which is known for its stringent evaluations and standards in healthcare education.
When taking the program, students can expect to come across the following topics:
- Quality and outcome analytics
- Healthcare database systems
- Healthcare information security and privacy
- Business statistical analysis
- Clinical information systems
- Technical and data architectures and standards for healthcare
- Legal and ethical aspects of healthcare
- Healthcare project management
Aside from these, students can also expect four virtual seminars, which are all required. The seminars touch on such topics as preparing for online studying, developing presentation skills, forming business career management, and acquiring a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.
Applicants need to submit several requirements in order to be eligible for enrollment into this program. Essential documents include a four-year Bachelor’s degree, or one that is considered a US equivalent, from an accredited college or university, a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, and a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
Students can also apply for scholarships, with some of them in FIU-wide scholarship programs, scholarships intended for Native American students, and industry and external scholarship opportunities.
Upon program completion, graduates can expect to work in diverse career paths, such as electronic health record (EHR) managers, health informatics specialists, and health information manager.
University of Central Florida (UCF)
Providing 25 years of online education and degrees, the University of Central Florida (UCF) offers some of the best programs for students regardless of their physical location.
Their online programs are tailored to fit student learning curves and needs due to their affordability and flexibility, with the ultimate goal of improving and enhancing career growth.
By training healthcare professionals with innovative technologies and well-rounded learning methodologies to serve the increasing needs and demands of people and patients.
Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics
The online program offered by the university runs for 16 weeks on a term calendar, with a total of 38 credit hours required to complete the course. Most students can expect to enroll without any prerequisites.
However, applicants without the required educational or professional experience will need to accomplish foundational courses at 3 credit hours. These courses, which cover the foundation of health services administration, medical terminology, and health information management survey, can be finished while being enrolled in the program.
There are 10 courses that make up the program, which includes an internship and capstone requirement. The coursework covers many essential skills and knowledge important to any health informatics professional, such as:
- Project management in healthcare informatics
- Healthcare data modeling and architecture
- Epidemiology
- Analytics
- Quality Management
- Healthcare informatics privacy and security
- Healthcare systems analysis and design
The internship requires students to work on applicable informatics projects under the supervision and management of a site preceptor.
Over the course of the program, students can expect to gain skills in managing patient data, maintaining health systems, developing data-driven solutions for better patient outcomes, and designing and implementing health management systems.
Graduates can expect to work in various fields in the healthcare industry. These can include any career paths, such as medical and health services managers, software and applications developers, and computer and information research scientists.
Jacksonville University (JU)
Found in northeast Florida, Jacksonville University (JU) has been consecutively named “America’s Best College” for more than 10 years. Offering more than 100 programs, minors, and majors, this university provides applicants with educational backgrounds in business, engineering, marine science, physics, and nursing.
The 240-acre campus boasts a beautiful riverfront in the suburban parts of Jacksonville. Here, students enjoy oak-lined paths that lead to new campus complexes, juxtaposed with historic buildings with old-world architecture.
Master of Science in Health Informatics
Jacksonville University offers an 11-course health informatics program to aspiring leaders and health analytics professionals. The degree is fully online and can be completed through part-time coursework or in a year as a full-time student.
The Master’s degree requires students to complete graduate-level coursework of 30 credit hours during its run. Participants can expect to get the full spectrum of the interdisciplinary course program, including:
- Advanced health informatics
- Advanced coding and classification
- Advanced cyber security
- Advanced systems analysis
- Advanced healthcare database management
- Epidemiology and evidence-based health informatics
- Key Standards in the healthcare industry
- Legal and social issues in health informatics
Aside from extensive theoretical knowledge, the program includes internships or work project assignments for real-world experience. There is also a three-credit hour capstone option that students can select, making a total of 33 credit hours for the health informatics program.
Non-medical applicants are required to undergo a two-credit hour course to help them better understand and prepare for their roles in healthcare.
Upon completion of the program, graduates can expect to work in meaningful healthcare positions, such as clinical analysts, health information system application designers, interprofessional health informaticists, chief medical information officers, health information resource managers, and health information directors.
University of South Florida (USF)
The University of South Florida (USF), founded in 1956, is a public research university offering a wide range of programs. These include social work, public health, nursing, medicine, engineering, education, business, and arts and sciences.
Its master’s degree in health informatics is designed to train highly specialized health informaticians in assisting healthcare institutions and providers by implementing innovative technology. The end goal is to ensure enhanced data acquisition and analysis, improved patient care, well-managed healthcare costs, and fully complied legal healthcare regulations.
Master of Science in Health Informatics
The Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program imbues applicants with a deep, multi-faceted understanding of healthcare information acquisition, management, and storage.
This encourages students to develop advanced skills, such as resource allocation, service personnel recruitment and training, and the legal and ethical aspects of acquiring healthcare information. Students are then able to retrieve, process, interpret, and utilize the information and apply it suitably.
MSHI requires students to complete a minimum total of 32 credit hours. The core courses take up 11 credit hours, while 21 credit hours are allocated to two choices: general pathway or concentration.
Here, students learn the following knowledge and skills, among others:
- Foundation in management information systems
- Legal aspects of health information management
- Health data management
- e-Healthcare ethics
- Integrated electronic medical records
- Healthcare project management
- Pharmacy informatics
- Health outcomes research
Students can also expect a minimum of 480 contact hours for the duration of the program. Depending on the type of participation, students can complete the program in two years or more.
The program is ideal for professionals in the healthcare industry, such as nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists. However, individuals in other fields can also apply as long as their academic credentials are aligned with the program requirements.
Expected Salaries for MS Health Informatics Degree Holders in Florida
As of December 2022, on average, a health informatics manager in Florida can make $136,470. As healthcare workers continue to be in demand, a career in health informatics can provide you with so many career paths.
As noted by many healthcare professionals and arbiters, health informaticians are leading the way toward many far-reaching applications and frameworks in the industry. Health informaticians are also often involved in predictive medicine and epidemic tracking, making them highly valuable as diseases continue to evolve and reproduce.
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