Newswise — Saint Louis University is preparing to launch a graduate program in health informatics " the study of how technology is used in a health care setting to collect, organize, manage and store information.
The new professional master's program will begin accepting students in fall 2008, with the formal launch set for fall 2009, said Jody Smith, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the department of health informatics and information management at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences. The new program will be in addition to SLU's existing undergraduate program in health information management.
"We've all seen how technology has revolutionized society," Smith said. "It's revolutionizing health care as well, and we want to prepare students to be part of this revolution by using technology in the most effective, efficient way to meet the needs and objectives of the particular health care organization that they work for."
"The new master's program will develop leaders who will serve in upper administrative positions, such as chief information officer, in the health care field," Smith added. "Other career opportunities for graduates include informatics support for companies involved in research and development, public policy and software development, just to mention a few."
The program is "practical" in nature, as opposed to research-oriented, Smith said. That means students will be prepared to work as information managers and executives in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical companies and research organizations.
Students can enroll full time or part time in the new program, which will take up to two years to complete, depending on a student's educational and professional background and how many credit hours they take each semester.
Of the 30 credit hours required by the program, six are devoted to an applied informatics project, in lieu of a thesis. The remainder are devoted to courses in health care management and administration, along with information project management, database management, information security, financial resources and systems analysis.
"This is a collaborative master's program," Smith said. "For instance, students will take graduate-level classes in the school of business and the school of public health. It's a very unique model " one we've been developing for some time now."
Smith said the program is geared toward individuals with educational or professional backgrounds in health care or technology. Those applying to the program with a bachelor's degree in a discipline other than health care will be asked to take one or more prerequisites " such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology " to ensure they have the proper foundation for success in the program.
Every student entering the program will meet with a faculty member to plan their curriculum, Smith said. "We'll work with them to develop a very personalized curriculum that meets their goals and objectives " one that adds to their prior educational and professional background," Smith said.
Anyone interested in applying to the program should contact Nancy Gaines at SLU's department of health informatics and information management, at 314-977-8705, or [email protected].
Long a leader in educating health professionals, Saint Louis University offered its first degree in an allied health profession in 1929. Today the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers degrees in physical therapy, clinical laboratory science, nutrition and dietetics, health informatics and information management, medical imaging and radiation therapeutics, occupational science and occupational therapy, and physician assistant education. The college's unique curriculum prepares students to work with health professionals from all disciplines to ensure the best possible patient care.
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