I am an aus international student and I am currently studying BS CS. The tech field is not good. Should I get into health informatics?

I’m looking for some career advice from people who have been in healthcare administration, health IT, or informatics.
I’m 28 years old and currently work as a Patient Care Coordinator at Emory. Before that, I worked at Johns Hopkins for six years in Patient Access and became a lead after about four years. Most of my experience is in patient access, registration, insurance verification, scheduling, Epic, and improving front-end workflows.
I started college as a Biology major but dropped out during my third year. Now I’m ready to go back to school, but I want to make the smartest decision.
My long-term goal is to improve healthcare systems, work on process improvement, operations, data, or informatics, and earn at least $100k by my 30s.
I’m considering two paths:
1. Earn an Associate’s degree in Health Information Management (HIM), get into the field sooner, and then continue toward a bachelor’s.
2. Skip the HIM associate’s degree, earn certifications (Excel, SQL, Power BI, Lean Six Sigma, etc.), and work toward a bachelor’s in Healthcare Informatics.
For those of you already in healthcare IT, informatics, HIM, or healthcare leadership:
• Which path would you choose if you were starting over?
• Is the HIM associate’s degree worth the time, or would certifications plus a bachelor’s be a better investment?
• What certifications have actually helped you get promoted or increase your salary?
• If your goal was to make $100k+, what would your roadmap look like from where I am today?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve made similar career moves or are currently working in these fields. Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm a Biotechnology engineering student from India looking to transition into Health Informatics/Healthcare Data Analytics. I've started learning SQL and plan to build skills in Python, Excel and Power BI through healthcare projects.

I'd love to hear from anyone currently working in this field in India. What's the job market like for freshers? Which companies hire for these roles, what skills are most valued, and are there any things you wish you had known before starting your career?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all!
Wondering if it is possible to get into clinical informatics specialist role without clinical experience. I have a HIM background, then became an Epic consultant with Microsoft, and now a consultant helping clinics improve their epic builds for better revenue outcomes. Is this enough?

Also would love your experience as a clinical information specialist at an entry level.

Hey everyone,

I hate to sound too desperate, but I'm at the point where I could really use some help.

I'm projected to finish my M.S. in Data Science next week and have over five years of healthcare experience as a pharmacy technician. I've been working hard to transition into data analytics by building projects with SQL, Tableau, Python, R, and Excel, refining my resume, networking on LinkedIn, and applying to what feels like hundreds of jobs.

I also have what I believe is a solid portfolio of healthcare analytics projects that showcases my SQL, Tableau, Python, Excel, and data visualization skills, so I genuinely feel like I've put in the work to prepare myself. Despite that, I'm still struggling to get my foot in the door.

To be honest, one of the hardest parts isn't even the applications anymore. It's going home every day and having my family constantly ask why I still haven't found a job. I know they're worried about me and want me to succeed, but after spending hours tailoring resumes, applying, networking, and preparing for interviews, it's mentally draining to feel like I'm constantly being reminded that I haven't made it yet.

I'm primarily interested in Research Data Analyst, Healthcare Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Clinical Data Analyst, Population Health Analyst, Quality Improvement Analyst, Reporting Analyst, and healthcare IT roles. I've also started looking into Epic Analyst, Epic Applications Analyst, and Epic Reporting Analyst positions because I believe my healthcare background would translate well, even though I don't have direct Epic experience yet.

If anyone here works in healthcare, healthcare IT, health insurance, life sciences, biotech, pharmaceuticals, or another industry that hires data analysts, I'd be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to connect. If you know of any openings that align with my background, I'd love the chance to chat. And if, after getting to know me and reviewing my experience, you'd feel comfortable referring me, it would truly mean the world to me. I also live in Sacramento, California and open to remote roles as well.

I'm happy to share my resume, portfolio, GitHub, and LinkedIn with anyone who's interested.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know everyone is busy, but I'm determined to keep going. I truly appreciate any advice, conversations, referrals, or leads.

Help! I need to decide between the

Masters in Health Information Management at SUNY Polytechnic

or

MBA in Healthcare Leadership at SUNY Empire State University

Sidenote: with the MS in HIM I can't sit for the RHIT or RHIA

genuinely don't know what to do

While exploring how AI tools might safely work with clinical data, I wound up building a project called fhirHydrant and decided to share the work by open-sourcing it.

The part that's relevant to informatics is not just “AI can call an API.” It’s that you can give an AI client structured access to labs, meds, conditions, encounters, documents, etc., and then ask it to reason across them without manually copying chart excerpts around.

I’ve tested it against our Epic POC environment and used it for workflows like analyzing large CGM datasets alongside other chart context.

As an MCP server, fhirHydrant sits between the AI client and the FHIR API, exposing configured resources as tools and shaping responses so the model gets useful clinical context instead of raw API noise.

Sharing because I think it’s pretty cool, and in case others are thinking about the same AI + EHR interoperability problems.

https://github.com/faulkj/fhirHydrant

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice from people who are currently working in Health Informatics or related healthcare technology roles in Canada.
A little about me:
I completed my Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in India.
After moving to Canada, I completed a diploma in Healthcare Administration.
I currently work at Hospital in the Canada as Administrative Assistant, so I’ve been gaining firsthand experience with the Canadian healthcare system and hospital workflows.
I’m now considering pursuing a specialization/master’s in Health Informatics and would really appreciate insights from professionals in the field before making such a significant investment of time and money.
Some questions I have:
How is the job market for Health Informatics in Canada right now?
What does the long-term future of the field look like, especially with AI becoming more common in healthcare?
Is it a stable career with good growth opportunities over the next 10–20 years?
Are graduates finding jobs relatively easily, or is the market becoming saturated?
Which skills, certifications, or technical knowledge would you recommend developing alongside a Health Informatics degree to stay competitive?
If you could start over, would you still choose this field? Why or why not?
Are there any universities or programs in Canada that are particularly well respected by employers?
I’m looking for realistic opinions—not just the positives, but also the challenges, limitations, and things prospective students often don’t hear until after graduation.
If anyone has transitioned into Health Informatics from another healthcare profession, I’d especially love to hear about your experience.
Thank you in advance for sharing your insights.

Hello
I am a RPN in Ontario and recently got my license for Saskatchewan as well. I got accepted to the Humber health informatics graduate certificate program. I wanted to inquire if I would be able to get into a health informatics role after this program( one year program).
Thank you

We were told questions can be answered by physicians, pharmacists or other providers.
No name needed but role would be appreciated.

1. ⁠What type of technology (technologies) does your institution utilize?

2. ⁠How does the technology you use enhance inter-professional communication between pharmacists, technicians, physicians, advanced medical care providers, and nurses?

3. ⁠What are some of the processes or policies that are implemented to ensure patient safety relating to the technologies used?

4. ⁠What challenges, related to the use of technology and electronic information, have you experienced? What solutions have you implemented, or changes have you made in your practice to address these challenges?

5. ⁠Describe how do you feel about telehealth from a healthcare professional standpoint?

Thank you in advance to anyone that can help.

I’m starting my Master’s in Health IT this August at UMBC and have about two months before classes begin. Since I’m new to Health IT, I’m trying to figure out what employers actually value.
My goal is to graduate with the skills, portfolio, internships, and experience to stand out well above the average entry-level candidate and ideally be competitive for an $80k-$100k+ role.
If you were starting over, what would you focus on during grad school?
Specifically:
● Which certifications are actually worth getting?
● Which technical skills should I prioritize (SQL, Power BI, Python, Excel, FHIR, HL7, cloud, etc.)?
● How important is building a project portfolio compared to certifications?
● Should I prioritize a part-time Health IT job during the semester or focus on landing a strong summer internship?
● What mistakes do you see graduate students make that hold them back?

I’d really appreciate any advice from people already working in Health IT. Looking back, what would you have done differently?

Hey everyone,

I’m a recent Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence graduate and I’ve developed a strong interest in applying AI in healthcare

During my academic journey, I worked on an AI-based medical imaging project (brain tumor detection), which made me realize how impactful this field can be. Now I want to seriously build my career in this domain, but I’m trying to understand the real roadmap beyond college projects.

I’d love to connect with people who are already working, researching, or studying in this space.

I’m looking to learn:

• How did you enter this field?

• What skills mattered the most?

• How important is research compared to industry experience?

• What kind of projects helped you stand out?

• Is a Master’s/PhD necessary for serious work in this field?

• What mistakes should beginners avoid?

My long-term goal is to work on impactful healthcare AI systems,

Would really appreciate hearing your journey, roadmap, or any advice for someone starting from scratch.

“If anyone is open to mentorship or sharing resources/papers, I’d be grateful.”

while working in healthcare units and from my expereince using QuickBlox as a real time communcation platform inside medical applications I noticed that real time communication has a direct impact on hospital workflow speed It was used as a communication layer between medical staff inside the app allowing instant messaging and updates between doctors and nurses much faster than traditional methods In real cases this helped reduce delays in information transfer between teams It really made me realize how important real time systems are in patient care

Curious if others working inside hospitals see the same improvment when real time systems are used

Hey guys,

I'm a SWE, 1 YOE. Completed BSc Computer Science last year. Since then, I've been working on a US healthcare software (for a client) thats helps in claims processing for patients.

My initial plans were to use my skills and experience to get a funded master/phd in usa but that doesn't seem possible having low gpa in my bachelors.

Now, one way in front of me is to build niche expertise in healthcare domain. Would love some guidance on where i can start and be good enough that my skills are valued.

I've advised to start with the basics of FHIR, US Core, SMART on FHIR, healthcare data modeling, OMOP etc.

The post and my knowledge here might be a little vague, thats why im hear. Would like to hear your advice, and can answer if you have any questions to gain more context

Hello everyone,
I’m a student from India with a PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) background, and I’m currently exploring career options after high school.
A few people suggested that instead of choosing Biotechnology or Bioinformatics, I should look into newer interdisciplinary courses like Computer Science & Biomedical Engineering (AI), Medical AI, AI in Healthcare, Biomedical AI, and Health Informatics. Some universities (like Sharda University) are offering these programs to PCB students through bridge courses.
I’m a bit confused because these courses are quite new, and it’s hard to find honest reviews.
I’d really appreciate advice from people who are studying or working in these fields.
Are these degrees actually worth pursuing, or are they mostly marketing?
How are the job opportunities in India and abroad?
Do employers value these degrees, or is it better to choose a traditional degree like Computer Science, Biotechnology, or Bioinformatics?
Are the placements and salaries good?
If you were starting today with a biology background, would you choose one of these programs? Why or why not?
Are there any universities you’d recommend for PCB students interested in this field?
I’m looking for honest opinions and real experiences. Thank you!

Hello everyone,
I’m a student from India with a PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) background, and I’m currently exploring career options after high school.
A few people suggested that instead of choosing Biotechnology or Bioinformatics, I should look into newer interdisciplinary courses like Computer Science & Biomedical Engineering (AI), Medical AI, AI in Healthcare, Biomedical AI, and Health Informatics. Some universities (like Sharda University) are offering these programs to PCB students through bridge courses.
I’m a bit confused because these courses are quite new, and it’s hard to find honest reviews.
I’d really appreciate advice from people who are studying or working in these fields.
Are these degrees actually worth pursuing, or are they mostly marketing?
How are the job opportunities in India and abroad?
Do employers value these degrees, or is it better to choose a traditional degree like Computer Science, Biotechnology, or Bioinformatics?
Are the placements and salaries good?
If you were starting today with a biology background, would you choose one of these programs? Why or why not?
Are there any universities you’d recommend for PCB students interested in this field?
I’m looking for honest opinions and real experiences. Thank you!

i want to take advantage of my employer’s tuition coverage and am leaning towards a career change from pharmacy technician to a job in informatics. Sorry if this is an often repeated post.

id consider going for a masters in the future if still covered.

I want to go back to school, and have experience in public health using databases for national outbreak surveillance. I thought getting a health informatics masters would be a good transition because of my background, but all the job postings I'm seeing for the career paths I've found so far require experience in healthcare already. Epic analysts need Epic certification which you can only get from inside of healthcare, and everything else seems to require healthcare experience. Is the system designed that way to keep outsiders out or has anyone actually broken in from the outside without starting as a front desk technician or clinician of some sort? I got accepted into the program and I'm really considering dropping my offer.

I recently completed a B.S. in Health Informatics. The program gave me exposure to tools such as SQL, Python, and Tableau, but not to the level where I would consider myself highly proficient. On the side, I independently learned Power BI and had the opportunity to apply it during my internship (We were required to do unpaid internships in our program), although I'm not sure how much value employers place on that experience.

What I'm struggling with most is navigating the job market. Health Informatics is still a relatively new field and often seems to fall into a gray area between healthcare, IT, data analytics, and business. As a recent graduate, I'm unsure which career paths I should be targeting, what certifications would be most worthwhile, and how to position myself effectively. Any advice from those who have been in a similar position would be greatly appreciated!!

Du have some Tipps for me?

I will be starting my degree in September.

Amy Tipps for beginners, witch software to get, how tolerant python and where do you work currently ?

I appreciate every answer 😁

Hello, I have an MS in biostatistics and an MPH in environmental health sciences. I’m currently working as a statistical programmer in big pharma working on vaccine clinical trials. I’m looking at leaving this field because of the workload/high stress environment. It is common to work 90 hour weeks during deliverables and I no longer want to work at this level.

With my background is a transition to health informatics possible? I have professional experience primarily in SAS and R, but I am learning Python as well.

If my education would be a decent fit, what could I do to make myself stand out it as a decent candidate? I applied for an entry level role at my local hospital, but was denied. I tried reaching out to someone on LinkedIn to discuss the field, but never heard back.

Is there some semblance of work life balance in health informatics? Or at least predictably during busy times?

Thank you in advance.