There is a wide range of jobs available for students with academic backgrounds in health informatics, from entry-level hourly positions to senior-level six-figure salary positions. Positions with the same job title and responsibilities can also have large differences between salary numbers depending on a few different factors, such as:
- Your Employer: If you are working for a large institution such as a pharmaceutical company or a hospital, you can expect a higher annual salary than someone working for a private practice.
- Your Location: If you are living and working within a major metropolitan area, you can expect a higher salary than if you are living in a rural area.
- Your Experience: If you have graduated from college and entered the workforce in the past five years, you should not expect to make as much as someone with more experience.
- Your Negotiating Skills: All professionals should advocate for themselves by negotiating a high initial salary, as well as requesting a raise every year or so, or when they take on new responsibilities in the workplace.
If you would like to get your foot in the door in the field of health informatics, the best first step towards earning a health informatics job is to enroll in a public health informatics degree program. Once you have earned your degree you will be eligible for the following positions:
- Health Information Technician: Health information technicians is an entry-level position in the field of health informatics, which earns an average annual salary of $39,180. They collect and organize patient data in hospitals, doctors offices, and private practices. It is a good position to get acquainted with the basics in the field of health informatics.
- Health Service Manager: Health service managers make an average annual salary of $98,350. They are responsible for coordinating logistics strategies for delivering medical services to inpatients as well as outpatients who need service in their home and organizing a patient’s medical and treatment history.
- Epidemiologist: Epidemiologists make an average annual salary of $69,660. They create statistical models that allow analysis and prediction of epidemic and disease spread to help governments determine strategies for public health initiatives.
While these are the most common health informatics jobs, there are a number of other professions that graduates are eligible for, including health insurance agent, public health policy advisor, and health center administrator. For a full list of jobs that are available in the field of public health, check out our list of the 50 Top Public Health Jobs. There are also positions available for students with degrees in health informatics that are not in the field of healthcare, as the Information Technology skills that are learned in a health informatics degree program are applicable to a number of different professions. Consider these highly lucrative jobs that are available for professionals with IT credentials:
- Human Resource Manager: Serve companies by ensuring that their employees are happy and productive, making an average annual salary of $110,120.
- Information Systems Manager: Organize the server structure as well as archive and data retrieval systems for companies, making an average annual salary of $139,220.
- Administrative Services Manager: Collect and organize information about providing public services, making an average salary of $94,020.
If you would like to research quality academic programs that will qualify you for a health informatics job, check out our list of top online public health informatics degree programs, and if any of the programs pique your interest, be sure to follow the links to the school website and request more information.
