Health Informatics Specialists: Job Description
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.
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What Do Health Informatics Specialists Take On?
Typical responsibilities of health informatics specialists span:
- Translate nursing practice information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, or designers, using object-oriented models or other techniques.
- Use informatics science to design or implement health information technology applications for resolution of clinical or health care administrative problems.
- Develop or implement policies or practices to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, or security of patient information.
- Analyze and interpret patient, nursing, or information systems data to improve nursing services.
- Identify, collect, record, or analyze data relevant to the nursing care of patients.
- Apply knowledge of computer science, information science, nursing, and informatics theory to nursing practice, education, administration, or research, in collaboration with other health informatics specialists.
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Top health informatics specialists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Health Informatics Specialists Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Clinical Electronic Health Record Nurse (Clinical EHR Nurse)
- Clinical Informaticist
- Clinical Informatics Analyst
- Clinical Informatics Nurse
- Clinical Informatics Specialist
- Clinical Quality Auditor
- Clinical Specialist
- Clinical Systems Educator
Job Outlook
There are about 401,507 health informatics specialists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +3.5% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Health Informatics Specialists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $156,714 |
| Hourly median | $75.34 |
| 10th percentile | $98,063 |
| 25th percentile | $127,389 |
| 75th percentile | $186,039 |
| 90th percentile | $215,365 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Health Informatics Specialists Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $127,660 |
| Washington | $127,420 |
| Colorado | $124,010 |
| New Jersey | $123,640 |
| Massachusetts | $121,580 |
| District of Columbia | $114,110 |
| Virginia | $113,500 |
| Rhode Island | $112,980 |
| Oregon | $111,140 |
| Minnesota | $106,740 |
| Connecticut | $105,860 |
| New York | $105,610 |
| Texas | $104,970 |
| North Carolina | $104,940 |
| Delaware | $104,070 |
| Alabama | $103,730 |
| Georgia | $103,380 |
| Maryland | $103,200 |
| Nevada | $101,810 |
| Arizona | $101,730 |
| Florida | $100,770 |
| New Hampshire | $100,700 |
| Oklahoma | $100,450 |
| Michigan | $100,240 |
| West Virginia | $99,050 |
| Ohio | $98,990 |
| Wisconsin | $98,790 |
| Vermont | $98,690 |
| Maine | $98,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,450 |
| Kansas | $97,300 |
| Indiana | $96,470 |
| North Dakota | $96,350 |
| Illinois | $95,920 |
| South Dakota | $95,850 |
| South Carolina | $94,740 |
| New Mexico | $94,570 |
| Utah | $93,330 |
| Missouri | $92,740 |
| Nebraska | $92,090 |
| Iowa | $91,670 |
| Louisiana | $89,800 |
| Montana | $89,060 |
| Wyoming | $88,790 |
| Hawaii | $86,700 |
| Alaska | $84,800 |
| Mississippi | $82,870 |
| Tennessee | $82,430 |
| Kentucky | $81,270 |
| Arkansas | $72,540 |
| Idaho | $68,810 |
| Puerto Rico | $61,940 |
| Virgin Islands | $56,650 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for health informatics specialists differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $124,677 | 16.7% | 1.06 |
| New England | $113,821 | 6.0% | 1.28 |
| Middle Atlantic | $107,776 | 14.7% | 1.10 |
| Rocky Mountains | $105,235 | 2.7% | 0.69 |
| Southwest | $103,833 | 12.8% | 1.03 |
| Southeast | $100,497 | 26.9% | 1.21 |
| Plains States | $98,261 | 6.0% | 0.91 |
| Great Lakes | $97,913 | 14.0% | 1.00 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Health Informatics Specialists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $160,800 | 8,510 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $145,440 | 10,950 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $132,580 | 13,940 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $132,290 | |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $127,540 | 250 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $127,500 | 270 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $127,150 | 25,320 |
| Midland, TX | TX | $126,660 | 180 |
Which Industries Hire Health Informatics Specialists
The largest employers of health informatics specialists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 168,670 | $105,750 |
| Finance and Insurance | 63,990 | $104,910 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 59,610 | $109,210 |
| Information | 36,050 | $107,630 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 32,810 | $98,600 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 24,760 | $105,590 |
| Manufacturing | 23,750 | $109,680 |
| Educational Services | 20,170 | $88,680 |
Health Informatics Specialists work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Microsoft Power BI (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for health informatics specialists reflects the following characteristics:
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
Education and Training
Entry-level health informatics specialists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Medical and Health Services Managers (Primary-Short)
- Clinical Research Coordinators (Primary-Long)
- Computer Systems Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Clinical Data Managers (Primary-Short)
- Epidemiologists (Supplemental)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Primary-Long)
- Health Education Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring health informatics specialists often complete programs in:
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
4 programs across 3 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 15-1211.01 (Computer Systems Analysts).
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