Are you considering earning a health informatics degree in Arizona? This southwestern state is no desert when it comes to educational opportunity, offering a healthy mix of public universities, private universities and community colleges. Students interested in the rapidly evolving field of health informatics will find a wide variety of programs that are worth their consideration. With Arizona College, Arizona State University, College America and Grand Canyon University all featuring programs in health informatics, students in Arizona can choose to earn everything from associates degrees to doctorates.
Arizona College
School for Health Care Careers
Arizona College, formally known as the Arizona College of Allied Health, has spent two decades serving the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Its two campuses in the metro area make it easy for the college’s students to participate in a structured educational environment that combines classroom lectures with opportunities for experiential learning. To help students prepare to meet the rising demand for health care professionals, the School for Health Care Careers offers its students the chance to earn a mix of diplomas and associates degrees in various specialties. Programs are available for students who wish to pursue careers as health information specialists, massage therapists, pharmacy technicians, medical assistants and dental assistants.
Associate in Health Information Technology
Students interested in health care careers who enjoy using computers and find satisfaction in paying attention to the smallest detail will want to investigate the possibilities presented by Arizona College’s Associate in Health Information Technology program. Designed to educate students about medical coding, computerized billing and patient care data analysis, the 60-week program features a curriculum that emphasizes hands-on training. To earn their Associate in Health Information Technology degree, students must complete more than 30 courses that cover topics including general education studies, computers, health information, health care fundamentals and health care administrative procedures. To finish the degree program, they must complete a five week, 200 hour externship. While it is not required, Arizona College recommends that its students consider becoming certified by the American Health Information Management Association or the American Academy of Professional coders. Students who earn their associates degree will be prepared to take positions in medical billing and coding departments in doctor’s offices, hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations and government agencies.
Contact
4425 West Olive Avenue # 300
Glendale, AZ 85302-385
Phone: 877-759-5504
admissions@arizonacollege.edu
Website
Arizona State University
College of Health Solutions
Arizona State University consistently earns accolades as a top quality school. The university has been named as one of the nation’s most innovative schools by U.S. News and World Report, listed as one of the country’s best universities by the Princeton Review, and ranked fifth in the U.S. for producing the best qualified graduates by the Wall Street Journal. ASU’s College of Health Solutions works to prepare tomorrow’s health care professionals with top quality degree programs in nutrition, medical studies, exercise and wellness, kinesiology, biomedical informatics, biomedical diagnostics, speech and hearing science, public health, behavioral health, and the science of health care delivery.
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Informatics
An in-demand multidisciplinary expertise, biomedical informatics merges information technology, computer science and cognitive science with biomedicine and healthcare delivery. Students in this program will learn the skills and information they need to participate in the informatics aspects of health care delivery, technology development, and biomedical sciences, as well as the commercial businesses that work in those fields. To earn their bachelor’s degrees in biomedical informatics from ASU, students must complete a total of 120 credits, with at least 45 of those credits in upper level courses. In addition, a minimum of 30 credits must be earned at ASU. After receiving their bachelor’s degrees, students will be prepared for a variety of professions, including positions as actuarial services analysts, clinical informatics specialists, health plan performance analysts, program research analysts, decision support analysts, program evaluators, and quality improvement analysts. They will also have the option of choosing to continue their education at the graduate level.
Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics
Designed to meet the growing demand for professionals in this field, ASU’s Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics program combines training in computer science, technology, statistics and bioscience to prepare students to develop and use methods for gathering, representing, analyzing and retrieving biomedical data. Under the guidance of expert faculty, students learn to apply the latest informatics theory to clinical practice. The unique program is a result of ASU’s collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine, Banner Health and the Barrow Neurological Institute. While earning the 32 credits required for their master’s degree, students will have the option of exploring several research concentrations, including bioinformatics, population health informatics, clinical informatics, knowledge discovery and imaging informatics. Students completing this degree will be ready to assume some leadership positions in the biomedical informatics field. They may also choose to continue their education at the doctorate level.
Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics
ASU’s Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics program demands much of the same coursework included in the master’s degree program. But, the doctorate program also stresses the importance of independent research by requiring students to focus on one of five possible areas of concentration. Options include bioinformatics, population health informatics, clinical informatics, knowledge discovery and imaging informatics. With established educational partnerships with various bioscience companies, governmental agencies and health care organizations, students have unique opportunities to participate in amazing advances in informatics. To earn their doctorate, students must complete a total of 84 credits, with at least 46 of those credits in required coursework. In addition, students must earn a minimum of 32 credits in elective courses related to their area of concentration. Students completing the Ph.D. program will be prepared to tackle leadership and developmental roles in the field of informatics. They will also be ready to participate in advanced informatics research.
Contact
550 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004-0698
Phone: 602-496-2644
chs@asu.edu
Website
College America
Health Care Programs
With six campuses located in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming, College America is a private, nonprofit college that is dedicated to providing its students with the skills and real-world knowledge they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market. Students can choose from degree programs in business, technology, graphic arts and health care. To help students be ready to meet the expanding needs of the rapidly evolving medical field, College America offers accredited health care degree programs leading to associates, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Health care degree programs include medical specialties, nursing, health care administration and health information management.
Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management
Vital to delivering health care safely and efficiently, health information management involves the proper collection, use, transmission and storage of an array of health records, including epidemiological, clinical, demographic, financial and reference data. Clinics, hospitals, insurance companies, health departments, and governmental agencies all require employees with the skills necessary to perform this service. An online program requiring between 30 and 36 months to complete, the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management degree program consists of 46 courses totaling 177 credits. Because this is an online program, College America provides each student with a new laptop to use for his or her coursework. Upon completion of the degree program, the laptop is gifted to the student. With the health care industry increasingly dependent on electronic health records, the demand for qualified health information management professionals is growing. Students earning their bachelor’s degree in this field will be prepared to step into entry level positions as heath information technologists, clinical information system technologists, inpatient/outpatient coders, and coding data coordinators.
Contact
Online Department
4021 South 700 East, Suite 400
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
Phone: 1-800-622-2894
social.media@collegeamerica.edu
Website
Grand Canyon University
College of Nursing and Healthcare Professions
Established in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1949, Grand Canyon University is a private Christian university that takes pride in teaching its students to be critical thinkers who are prepared to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. GCU’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions has been providing students interested in working in health care with a top quality education for a quarter of a century. The college makes a point of connecting the information learned in the classroom with real world situations, stressing both the relevance and the application of the material covered in its coursework. Thanks to this insistence on practicality, the school’s students are often actively recruited by prospective employers.
Bridge to Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Health Care Informatics
Grand Canyon University’s Bridge to a Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Health Care Informatics is an innovative online program that provides experienced registered nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing with a chance to earn a master’s degree in nursing without requiring them to backtrack and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing first. Instead, these students take just six courses from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and then jump straight into the Master’s of Science in Nursing Health Care Informatics program. To earn their master’s degrees, students must complete 54 credits in nursing, health care informatics, and health care administration topics. Students completing the program will be prepared to automate clinical care, train other nurses in computer use, and collect and analyze data with the goal of improving the care provided to patients. These valuable skills can lead to positions with a growing number of employers, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, insurance companies and consulting firms.
Contact
3300 West Camelback Road
Phoenix, AZ 85017
Phone: 602-639-7500
con@gcu.edu
Website
Health informatics is a hot topic in the rapidly evolving world of health care. With multiple colleges and universities offering students the opportunity to earn everything from associates degrees to doctorates in this in-demand field, students will definitely want to consider the exciting possibility of earning their health informatics degrees in Arizona.
For more information on obtaining your Health Informatics degree, please see 20 Most Affordable Master’s in Health Informatics Degree Programs.
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