“There is an immediate need for skilled workers in this field locally,” said RCBC President Paul Drayton.
In response to workforce demands, Rowan College at Burlington County will launch a new degree program in Healthcare Informatics this fall.
“RCBC’s new associate degree offering in Healthcare Informatics will prepare students to use technology to improve patient outcomes in a variety of medical settings,” said RCBC President Paul Drayton. “It is a growing field nationally and there is an immediate need for skilled workers in this field locally.”
RCBC created the Associate of Applied Science in Healthcare Informatics in collaboration with Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, which is looking to fill healthcare technology positions. While there are bachelor’s degrees in health informatics, RCBC’s associate degree is the only one of its kind in the country.
“Deborah Heart and Lung Center approached RCBC with the proposal to build this degree program, because of their reputation for high-quality academics and highly-skilled graduates,” said Joseph Chirichella, Deborah president and CEO. “We don’t need to wait for students to achieve their bachelor’s degree before they can be hired. With our input and RCBC’s program, we know there will be a great pool of qualified candidates.”
The degree program combines electronic health records, health information management and computer science. Professionals in healthcare informatics work with information systems, cybersecurity management, and computer software and define how health information is captured, used and transmitted.
“As the healthcare industry advances, there is a greater need for employees who are trained in both electronic health records and computer science,” said RCBC Director of Health Information Technology Susan Scully.
Since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was passed in 2009, there has been surge in the use of electronic health records, which has generated a need for trained information technology professionals who can work in healthcare settings. Graduates trained in healthcare informatics can work for software vendors, hospitals, long-term care facilities, insurance companies, consulting services, and more.
RCBC’s Healthcare Informatics associate degree program combines online, in-class, and hands-on learning, through an internship. Registration for the fall 2017 semester is now open.
Prospective students need to apply to RCBC and then to the Healthcare Informatics program. Current students should apply to the program as soon as possible. For more information and admission requirements, visit rcbc.edu/hit/admission-requirements.
RCBC’s Health Information Technology programs incorporate the disciplines of medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one curriculum. The college currently offers associate degrees in Health Information Technology (program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education), Cancer Registry Management (program is accredited by the National Cancer Registry Association) and Healthcare Informatics, and certificates in Coding, Electronic Health Records, and Cancer Registry Management. For more information on programs and requirements, visit rcbc.edu/hit.
Healthcare Informatics is one of four new fall 2017 programs coming to RCBC, a top-ranked and growing community college. The new programs, which also include Exercise Science, Geoscience and Health Sciences, create affordable pathways into rewarding careers that have a growing demand for new professionals.
