Mount Saint Mary College has added a new concentration to the Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology (IT) in Health Informatics.
Health Informatics is a field of multiple disciplines that uses information technology to organize and analyze health records to improve care outcomes and help the healthcare industry run efficiently.
After taking foundational IT courses, students will then focus on how to collect, store, retrieve, and analyze complex health data. Students will learn how to organize and manage these systems efficiently to improve patient care, making a positive impact in the healthcare industry.
"The current healthcare issues include improving outcomes that are driven by big data," explained Cathy Rehfus-Wilsek, associate professor of Healthcare Management. "The ability to not only gather, but interpret data through Health Information Technology (HIT) is a highly praised skill in the industry."
She added, "Recently, business leaders in the Hudson Valley have unanimously emphasized the need for more students trained in data analytics. The addition of a Health Informatics concentration will help address perceived knowledge gaps and give our students a competitive advantage in the workplace."
Health Informatics is the newest of five other concentrations available to IT majors at the Mount, including Cybersecurity, Educational Technologies, Human Computer Interaction, Networking, and Programming.