Clinical Informaticists: A Guide to Education, Skills, and Industry Specializations

Clinical informaticists are healthcare professionals who apply information technology to improve patient care. They are trained to analyze and solve complex problems in healthcare.

To become a clinical informaticist, you typically need a graduate degree in a field such as health informatics, biomedical engineering, or a related field. This education can take around 2-3 years to complete.

Clinical informaticists must possess a range of skills, including analytical, technical, and communication skills. They must be able to work with diverse stakeholders and navigate complex healthcare systems.

Industry specializations for clinical informaticists include healthcare consulting, medical device development, and healthcare IT.

A clinical informaticist is a mid-level healthcare role that combines healthcare and IT experience to design, modify, and develop computerized systems for healthcare organizations.

Clinical informaticists use their expertise to manage and analyze data, advancing the quality of care for patients. They work to improve patient records management systems and facilitate communication between IT teams, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders.

Clinical informatics has been practiced since the 1950s, but it wasn't until the internet era that the discipline gained widespread consideration and application outside of academia.

A key aspect of clinical informatics is the understanding that technology is only effective when it's designed and integrated into existing cultures, regulatory frameworks, and institutional workflows.

Clinical informaticists are responsible for building and teaching user interfaces to healthcare organization staff, ensuring that computerized systems are running efficiently, effectively, and securely.

Here are some key skills and responsibilities of a clinical informaticist:

Clinical informaticists are responsible for evaluating existing information systems and recommending improvements to functionality. They may study data entry or visual image storage systems, train staff on system use, build interfaces, troubleshoot software and hardware issues, and work across multiple departments to integrate the sharing of information.

Clinical informaticists document and report their findings and work to implement improvements, with the ultimate goal of managing costs while improving patient outcomes. Their work involves interacting with healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, who collect and share data to formulate treatment plans.

In a typical healthcare setting, clinical informaticists may serve in various roles, including evaluating and improving electronic health records, designing information systems, and providing technical support. They may also work on projects to integrate data from multiple departments and systems.

Clinical informaticists may specialize in specific areas of healthcare, such as medical informatics, nursing informatics, pharmacy informatics, or nutrition informatics. Their work requires strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to communicate complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

The clinical informatics field is constantly evolving, with new technologies and systems being developed to improve patient care and outcomes. Clinical informaticists must stay up-to-date with the latest developments and best practices in the field to provide effective support and guidance to healthcare professionals.

USF Health offers a Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics that's 100% online, perfect for busy professionals who want to launch or strengthen a health informatics career.

This certificate covers critical topics like health data management and has four courses, totaling 12 credits. You can also use these credits towards completing your MS in Health Informatics.

To become a clinical informatics specialist, you'll want to have experience in information technology and preferably a healthcare setting. IT skills like troubleshooting, technology design, and programming are in high demand.

Some of the most in-demand IT skills include:

If you're interested in taking your credentials and education to the next level, USF Health offers an MS in Health Informatics that provides both breadth and depth across industry topics.

To become a clinical informaticist, you'll need a solid foundation in both IT and healthcare. Aspiring clinical informatics specialists should have experience in information technology, preferably in a healthcare setting.

Some of the most in-demand IT skills include troubleshooting, technology design, programming, and data science. Clinical informaticists need to be able to figure out why IT systems aren't working properly, design equipment and programs that are useful for stakeholders, and have at least some familiarity with various programming languages.

Written and verbal communication skills are also essential, as clinical informaticists often convey complex ideas to a broader organization audience. They must be able to teach stakeholders how to use programs and equipment efficiently and securely, handle budgets and equipment, and understand healthcare legislation like HIPAA.

A bachelor's degree in a related field is typically the minimum requirement for a clinical informatics position, although many employers prefer candidates with a master's degree in health informatics, healthcare management, or a related field. A graduate degree combined with training in systems that digitize medical records can give professionals the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in this field.

Here are some key skills and qualifications for clinical informaticists:

Clinical informaticists can expect a median base salary of $93,730, with an overall annual salary range of $56,520 to $152,060, according to JobMine.

The job outlook for clinical informatics specialists is expected to grow by 9% by 2030, keeping pace with the national average, with about 34,300 openings created per year through 2030, reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Clinical informatics has been widespread in the healthcare industry since the 1970s, but a federal mandate in 2009 and subsequent recognition of clinical informatics as a subspecialty in 2011 have created enormous employment opportunities, with the field expected to grow 16% from 2022 to 2023.

As of June 2024, the estimated total pay for a Clinical Informaticist is $137,430 per year, with an average salary of $104,690 per year, according to Glassdoor.

The job outlook for clinical informatics specialists is looking bright. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job opportunity for this position is expected to grow by 9% by 2030, keeping pace with the national average.

This growth means about 34,300 openings should be created per year through 2030. The increasing demand for employees who can keep up with new, innovative, digital-realm technologies in healthcare systems is driving this growth.

Clinical informatics has been widespread in the healthcare industry since the 1970s, but a stimulus bill passed by Congress in 2009 gave it a major boost. The bill mandated that medical providers convert paper records to electronic data by 2014 to continue receiving Medicaid and Medicare payments.

The American Board of Medical Specialties recognized clinical informatics as a subspecialty in 2011, and the first board certifications were awarded late in 2013. This recognition has helped to establish clinical informatics as a legitimate field with clear career paths.

The field is indeed exploding, with access to health information on the Web taking off at a meteoric pace. This is creating enormous employment opportunities, as Charles Friedman, director of the health informatics program at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, noted in 2014.

As the field continues to grow, specialized roles are taking shape that focus on specific areas of healthcare, including medical informatics, nursing informatics, pharmacy informatics, and nutrition informatics.

As a clinical informatics specialist, your salary can vary depending on several factors. The median base salary is $93,730, with an overall annual salary range of $56,520 to $152,060.

Location plays a significant role in determining your salary, with professionals working in New York earning 52.7% more than the national average. Conversely, those in Indianapolis earn about 9.5% less than the national average.

Typically, a clinical informatics specialist with less than a year of experience earns around $71,000. Five years into the career, salaries rise to an average of just over $80,000.

Investing in a quality health informatics education can help you advance to the upper end of the salary scale. JobMine reports that 47.5% of clinical informatics professionals hold a bachelor’s degree, while only 23.4% hold a master’s degree.

The demand for clinical informatics professionals is growing due to the federal mandate regarding EHRs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects this field to grow 16% from 2022 to 2023.

As of June 2024, the estimated total pay for a Clinical Informaticist is $137,430 per year, with an average salary of $104,690 per year, according to Glassdoor.