| The Heart of Health Care |
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| Are you interested in a
career combining health, management and computing? Health information management may be the career you are seeking. Positioned at
the heart of the health care system, health information managers' (HIMs) professional
responsibilities cover the collection, storage, analysis and distribution of healthcare
information.
HIMs contribute both to the healthcare system and to
people’s health by providing the information systems and data central for medical
decision making and patient care planning.
HIMs coordinate many kinds of healthcare information,
from a variety of sources.
Some are paper based, but increasingly, they are in the
form of electronic patient records. |
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| What Do Health Information
Managers (HIMs) Do? |
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- Health information managers (HIMs) design and manage
information systems in the healthcare system.
- HIMs collect and generate records and reports about
patients who are being treated by doctors and other clinicians.
- HIMs use their clinical knowledge of disease and surgical
procedures, technical knowledge of computer systems and databases and their management
skills to set up and monitor these systems.
- HIMs also play a key role in the security and legal use of
people's medical records and health information by establishing appropriate procedures and
handling and protecting personal data.
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| The Best Part of the HIM Job |
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| Health information
managers report the following aspects of the HIM job as most satisfying:
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- Contact with a wide range of people and professions
- Challenges brought on by developments in healthcare and information technology
- The design and use of sophisticated health information systems
- Opportunities to specialise in computing, financial and health services management
- Being part of the healthcare team
- Planning and implementation of projects
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| HIM Work Places |
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- Computer and information
technology (IT) companies\
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State and federal health departments
- Health
insurance companies
- Public and private hospitals
- Community health services
- Research
Institutions
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| A Career in Health Information
Management? |
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A career in health
information management offers:
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Excellent employment prospects in a fast growing field
- Opportunities to specialise in computing, financial and health services management
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Opportunities to work in the computer industry or health industry
- Opportunities to work in the public or private sectors
- Useful skills that can be used throughout Australia and in many other countries
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| Undergraduate Study |
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To become a health information manager, you need to complete an
accredited undergraduate or postgraduate degree. The following Australian
universities offer accredited 3 or 3½ year undergraduate degrees. For information
about courses and entry requirements, contact the Schools of Health Information Management
in Australian Universities:
CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Perth, Western Australia)
HOME PAGE: http://www.curtin.edu.au/
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: http://publichealth.curtin.edu.au/
COURSE
OVERVIEW: http://courses.curtin.edu.au/course_overview/undergraduate/health-sciences
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY (Melbourne,
Victoria)
HOME PAGE: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/publichealth/
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT:
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/publichealth/HIM/
COURSE INQUIRIES: healthinfo@latrobe.edu.au
Additional course and entrance information is available
from university admissions centres, these universities, careers advisers, and employment
services.
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Post-Graduate Study |
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Further
study by either coursework or research, in areas such as Health
Informatics, may be undertaken at Masters level and above.
Additional course and entrance information is available directly from
each university offering these courses.
LA TROBE
UNIVERSITY (Melbourne, Victoria)
HOME PAGE: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/publichealth/HIM/
Master of Health
Information Management: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/publichealth/HIM/MHIM%20courseInfo.htm
COURSE INQUIRIES: healthinfo@latrobe.edu.au
Additional course and
entrance information on this Graduate-Entry Master of Health
Information Management, the only one of its kind in the Southern
Hemisphere, is available from La Trobe University. This two-year
course provides graduates with the profession entry-level
qualification for a career in Health Information Management.
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| Professional
Representation |
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As
students, and after graduation, HIMs can join the Health Information Management
Association of Australia (HIMAA).
HIMAA is the professional organisation representing HIMs throughout Australia and provides
continuing education opportunities for its members.
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©
2011 Health Information Management Association of Australia
Limited |
