09/16/14
The Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University is now offering a new concentration in health informatics on campus and through the university's Virtual College.

Health informatics is designed to give those already working in the health care industry, or hoping to work in health care, the ability to understand the needs and demands of patient care and information security.

As the health care industry increasingly transitions to Web-based interfaces, electronic storage and retrieval of patient information, and more sophisticated networks for medical information management, the demand for medical professionals with technology training and expertise is growing. In larger markets, technology professionals with training and expertise specific to medical industries, patient care practices and information security have created niche demand that is not being met.

Hospitals, clinics, specialty practices, pharmaceutical and insurance industries are aggressively recruiting this kind of professional with a uniquely mixed background. These new positions now have some of the highest salaries in the IT field.

The concentration requires students to complete the information networking and telecommunications major core (18 credit hours), the health informatics concentration (22 credit hours), the general education program and the required hours of free electives. Students will be encouraged to take the Bachelor of Arts with its language requirement over the Bachelor of Science because a foreign language will aid in their ability to meet the needs of the health care industry.

For more detailed information, contact Kevin Shaffer, associate professor for the Department of Informatics, at 785-628-4484 or kshaffer@fhsu.edu.