What is Clinical Informatics? Career & Salary Guide

Healthcare is a booming field with countless opportunities for in-direct patient care. Clinical informatics blends healthcare with computer technology. This career is ideal for those interested in healthcare who don’t want to work directly with patients.

So, what is clinical informatics? This guide will explore the field in-depth, including education, career, salary, and more.

What is Clinical Informatics?

Clinical informatics is the study of how information technology applies to healthcare. By studying information technology, clinical informatics can improve patient outcomes and safety and reduce health data errors. 

Additionally, it can create:

• Better communication between providers and patients
• Secure data storage
• Improve research and quality
• Improve decision-making
• Quicker access to patient records

Clinical Informaticist Duties & Skills

Clinical informaticists' specific duties and skills can vary depending on your job, employer, and work environment. However, there are several responsibilities and competencies commonly expected in this field:

Responsibilities

Your duties as a clinical informaticist may include the following:

• Designing user interfaces to store and evaluate patient and organization data
• Creating and integrating plans to maintain the currency of an organization’s information, digital security, and registries
• Troubleshooting software and hardware problems
• Reviewing existing systems and suggesting improvements
• Training staff to remain compliant
• Analyzing and optimizing data
• Documenting progress
• Reporting to supervisors
• Collaborating with other healthcare professionals
• Training staff on the EMR system
• Monitoring system security and reliability

Required Skills

Becoming a clinical informaticist requires a specific skill set, including: 

• Healthcare industry knowledge
• Electronic medical record expertise
• Programming knowledge
• Effective communication
• Problem-solving skills
• Computer expertise
• Ability to use Microsoft tools
• Knowledge of HIPAA regulations
• Medical terminology knowledge
• Data science analysis
• Management skills

Clinical Informatics vs. Health Informatics

Although clinical and health informatics share several similarities, they're also notably different. Broadly, clinical informatics focuses on individual patients, while health informatics refers to the whole healthcare system, population, and society.

Still, the two fields are so similar that some use the terms interchangeably. The lack of distinction can cause confusion when applying for open positions. We recommend carefully reading the job description to determine if it is the job you're looking for.

Choosing Between Clinical & Health Informatics

Your career goals, prior experience, and interests should drive your decision to work in clinical informatics vs. health informatics. Health informatics may suit those interested in health data systems development. Conversely, clinical informatics is a better fit for those interested in implementing new data strategies at the clinical level.

Clinical Informatics Education

Clinical Informatics Degrees

Entry-level clinical informatics positions will require a bachelor’s-level education. Computer science and tech degrees are the most useful undergraduate degrees for a career in informatics.

Earning an advanced degree can be beneficial in broadening your knowledge and advancing your analytical and technical skills. A Master’s Degree in Public Health or Computer Science is ideal for this position.

Clinical Informatics Certifications

The AMIA Health Informatics Certification (AHIC) developed by the AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) is ideal for clinical informatics specialists. Eligibility includes, 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a specific field (health informatics)
• Minimum six years of relevant work experience

AHIMA Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) is another viable certification option. AHIMA states you must meet the following criteria to be eligible for this cert:

• Complete the academic requirements, at an associate degree level, of a Health Information Management (HIM) program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) OR
• Graduate from an HIM program approved by a foreign association with which AHIMA has a reciprocity agreement

Top Clinical Informatics Jobs

Clinical Informatics Educator

Clinical informatics educators work with healthcare workers and teach them how to use clinical information systems. Their responsibilities include educating staff, developing orientation systems, and improving systems.

Biostatistician

A biostatistician applies mathematics and statistical methods to answer questions related to public health, biology, nursing, and medicine. Biostatisticians collect and analyze data to help develop, implement, and monitor research studies. 

Nutrition Clinical Informatics

As a nutrition clinical informaticist, you'll manage the information needed to tailor nutrition to a specific patient's needs. Nutrition informaticists analyze information from health data systems to improve the quality and efficiency of dietetic healthcare delivery.

Clinical Informatics Salary

Clinical informaticists earn an average annual salary of $103,597 or $50 an hour, according to reports from ZipRecruiter.

Clinical informatics is a lucrative field, with clinical informatics managers ranking among the top 20 highest-paying medical jobs. The top five high-paying cities for clinical informatics specialists are:

• Nome, AK - $140,547
• Maple Valley, WA - $127,514
• Berlin Corners, VT - $125,834
• Berkeley, CA - $125,421
• Lake Marcel-Stillwater, WA - $124,758

How to Get Started in Clinical Informatics

Gaining employment in clinical informatics is relatively straightforward. You can land an entry-level clinical informatics job with a bachelor's degree. Beyond that, advancing your career will require earning a master's degree.

You can get started in clinical informatics by following these steps:

• Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Step 2: Gain experience
• Step 3: Earn a master’s degree
• Step 4: Sit for national certification

Clinical informatics is an essential aspect of healthcare that helps bridge the gap between patients, frontline clinicians, and technology. By integrating technology, computer science, and medicine, you can significantly impact patient care.