Health Information Technology (HIT) Certificate

Program Purpose

Healthcare informatics is the application of informatics and information technology to deliver healthcare services (American Medical Informatics Association). The post-secondary HIT certificate provides students with foundational and core competencies in the electronic management of health information and its secure exchange between consumers and providers. The HIT certificate curriculum incorporates the disciplines of healthcare, management, finance, information technology, compliance, and law. Clinical decision support systems, current mHealth and telehealth applications, use of safety and quality metrics in informatics, and public and population health information technology are integrated throughout the certificate.

The HIT certificate aims to attract healthcare professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge of information technology, as well as appealing to prospective students who are interested in employment within the HIT field. Students completing the HIT certificate are prepared to be at the forefront of improving healthcare delivery through processes aimed at medical error reduction, enhanced care coordination and efficiency, engaging patients in advocacy, and serving public health. The use of a simulated electronic health record learning platform serves to provide real life training in healthcare information management and informatics. Work flow processes are taught within an interprofessional framework. Data visualization skills are partnered with clinically-relevant healthcare content.

Program of Study

The post-secondary Health Information Technology (HIT) Certificate will consist of fifteen (15) undergraduate credits. All interested students are required to consult with an academic advisor and/or Health Sciences program chair to plan the appropriate course sequencing and selection. The courses may be completed within a baccalaureate curriculum. All HIT Certificate courses are offered 100% online.

Career Opportunities

Aligning with the University mission, the HIT certificate provides health professionals and/ or those considering entry into this specialty area, with foundational knowledge surrounding health care informatics, essential to the career needs of our students and their competitiveness in the job market. Upon completion of the HIT certificate, students will be eligible to sit for the Certified Associate in Healthcare Information & Management Systems (CAHIMS) exam. CAHIMS certification is designated for emerging professionals in the IT industry with 5 years or less of experience.

Certificate Competencies

Through the completion of the post-secondary HIT Certificate, the students will be able to:

Improve quality and safety of health care for patients through use of clinical decision support systems and best practices of health care technology.
Evaluate coordination of care and disease management telemedicine technology.
Use computer applications to analyze patient data for the effects of databases on health care costs and quality of care.
Support legal and ethical management of electronic medical records.
Identify clinical workflows, process mapping and change management relating to Electronic Health Records (EHR) implementation.
Apply system project management and the triple constraint of scope, schedule and cost factors.

General Requirements

The program is open to the following prospective students with an interest in healthcare information technology:

High School graduate, and/ or;
Associate Degree graduate, and/ or;
Open to any undergraduate students in a degree-seeking program upon advisement from program specific chair and/ or academic advisor.

Students will complete an undergraduate application for admission accompanied by a non-refundable admission fee.

Curriculum

HIT 301	Healthcare Informatics	3
HIT 302	Healthcare Database Systems	3
HSC 313	Ethical and Legal Issues of Healthcare	3
ISM 430	Systems and Business Process Analysis for Healthcare Professionals	3
ISM 450	Project Management and Practice	3