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Health Informatics Specialists

Typical education: Master's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Apply knowledge of nursing and informatics to assist in the design, development, and ongoing modification of computerized health care systems. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the health care system.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $105,850 Median per year · $50.89/hr Most earn $67,340–$167,710

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Identify, collect, record, or analyze data relevant to the nursing care of patients.
  • Develop or implement policies or practices to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, or security of patient information.
  • Develop strategies, policies or procedures for introducing, evaluating, or modifying information technology applied to nursing practice, administration, education, or research.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in informatics.
  • Develop, implement, or evaluate health information technology applications, tools, processes, or structures to assist nurses with data management.
  • Design, develop, select, test, implement, and evaluate new or modified informatics solutions, data structures, and decision-support mechanisms to support patients, health care professionals, and their information management and human-computer and human-technology interactions within health care contexts.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
8% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 32,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Computer systems design and related services23.4%
  • Management of companies and enterprises10.3%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals4.9%
  • Credit intermediation and related activities4.3%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals3.9%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Master's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

This isn't an entry-level job. Most people spend about 8 to 10 years getting here, usually through a nursing or health degree, some time working in patient care, and a master's degree in informatics. Your results are just a starting point, and this path is one common route among several.

  1. Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) or another health field

    4 years

    You learn patient care and how health systems work, which gives you the medical knowledge this job depends on.

  2. Registered Nurse

    2-4 years

    Working directly with patients and using hospital or clinic computer systems shows you how these tools help or get in the way of care.

  3. Master's degree in health informatics or nursing informatics

    2 years

    This degree teaches you how to design, test, and improve health IT systems, which is what employers look for in this role.

  4. Health Informatics Specialist

    Ongoing

    You help design and update computer systems in health care and train staff to use them well.

Where it can lead

  1. Clinical Informatics Manager

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on leadership of a team of informatics staff and help plan how technology projects fit the organization's goals.

  2. Medical and Health Services Managers

    4-6 years of experience first

    You oversee departments or whole facilities, which usually requires experience with budgets, staffing, and decision-making across teams.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, health, and computer science classesBiology builds the medical background you'll need, and computer science teaches you how software is built and used.
  • Join a science, health, or robotics clubClub projects teach teamwork and problem solving, which matter when you help staff adapt to new systems.
  • Volunteer at a hospital, clinic, or nursing homeYou'll see how patient care and record-keeping work in real settings and learn whether health care feels right for you.
  • Get a starter job that uses computers, like a tutoring or front-desk jobWorking with people and software at the same time builds communication and tech skills that transfer well.

In college

  • Major in nursing, health sciences, or health information managementA degree in one of these fields gives you the clinical or health-system background that informatics work is built on.
  • Take statistics, databases, or programming coursesData and coding skills are used every day in designing and improving health IT systems.
  • Look for an internship with a hospital IT department or health systemHands-on time with real electronic health record systems is one of the best ways to see if this job fits you.
  • Work as a patient care assistant or medical scribeClinical exposure while in school helps you understand how staff actually use technology at the bedside.
  • Join a health professions or informatics student groupStudent groups offer networking, guest speakers, and a chance to learn about graduate programs in informatics.

Tips for getting started

  • Get comfortable with health records software and data tools now, such as spreadsheets or basic database work, since these skills show up in most informatics jobs.
  • Look for work in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home as early as you can, even as a volunteer or aide. Seeing how staff use computer systems is valuable experience.
  • Take a class that mixes health and technology, and ask a nurse or informatics professional for a short interview to learn what their days look like.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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