How to Become a Health Informatics Specialist

Health care accounts for approximately 30% of the world’s data¹. From electronic health records and medical imaging to real-time patient monitoring, data drives nearly every aspect of modern health care, enabling more informed decisions and improved outcomes.

At the center of all this data are health informatics specialists. These health care professionals bridge clinical practice and information technology to manage data, improve health information systems, and help drive better patient outcomes.

Health informatics offers a fast-growing, high-impact career path for those who want to shape the future of health care. Is that you? Let’s take a deeper dive into how to become a health informatics specialist, including the education, experience, and skills needed to succeed.

A health informatics specialist, also known as a clinical informatics specialist, plays a critical role in improving health care through technology, data, and system design. They analyze clinical data, manage electronic health records (EHRs), and optimize health IT systems to support and enhance patient care.

With their unique combination of health care knowledge and technical expertise, health informatics specialists find employment in all kinds of organizations, including:

What does a day in the life of a clinical informatics specialist look like? You’ll often find them working on a computer, where they clean, validate, and analyze healthcare data. Using SQL (a programming language), data visualization, and other technologies, they identify trends that can inform clinical and operational decisions. 

Health informatics specialists are also responsible for configuring and maintaining EHR platforms. They customize templates and workflows, ensure EHRs integrate seamlessly with labs, pharmacies, and billing systems, and maintain the systems’ compliance with health care policies and standards, such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements.

Beyond their technical skills, health informatics specialists provide user support and training. They often liaise between clinical teams and IT departments to streamline workflows and design system enhancements. As new tools and system updates become available, health informatics specialists train physicians, nurses, and staff on their use.

Becoming a health informatics specialist requires education in both health care and IT. A bachelor’s degree is a must-have to build your foundational knowledge. While a bachelor’s in health informatics is ideal, you can choose from a range of programs, such as:

A bachelor’s degree in one of these fields will prepare you for entry-level positions or graduate study of informatics in health care, which more advanced informatics roles often require². Depending on your background and area of interest, you can explore several graduate pathways.

The best part? You don’t need to put your career on pause to earn your master’s degree. Many universities now offer online MPH or informatics programs, which give you more flexibility to fit classes around your schedule.

Some certificate programs even serve as a stepping stone to a master’s degree. Northwestern University, for instance, allows you to apply your certificate courses toward an MS in health informatics.³.

Choosing a career path, or pivoting to a new one, can feel overwhelming. So let’s break it down. Follow these steps to become a health informatics specialist.

Certifications and Credentials

To stand out in a competitive job market, consider becoming a certified health informatics specialist. Certifications aren’t usually required, but they can enhance your credibility—especially if you come from a nonclinical background.

Two of the most common health IT credentials, CAHIMS and CPHIMS, are offered by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). This professional association has connected the global health community through research, education, and events since 1961⁶.

With no graduate degree requirement, the CAHIMS certification is designed for early-career professionals or career changers. The two-hour exam covers systems analysis, clinical informatics, and project management to ensure you are a well-rounded professional⁵.

The CPHIMS certification is for health informatics professionals who already have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and at least three to five years of experience in the field. With demonstrated expertise in everything from systems development to people management, CPHIMS-certified specialists are ready for leadership roles in health informatics⁴.

Skills and Tools for Success

To thrive in this cutting-edge field, you need both technical skills and soft skills. Here are the specific skills required for health informatics careers.

Technical Skills

Health informatics specialists must be proficient in a range of informatics tools, including:

A strong grasp of data governance in healthcare is essential for any health informatics specialist. This includes understanding HIPAA and how implementing access controls, encryption, and audit trails can protect patient privacy.

Soft Skills

As a liaison between health care providers and IT professionals, health informatics specialists must balance their technical skills with soft skills. These include:

Building Your Skills

Luckily, there are a number of free or low-cost learning platforms where you can hone these skills. Coursera and edX offer extensive technical courses, while LinkedIn Learning is a great resource for developing those essential soft skills.

The job outlook for informatics specialists is bright. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 16% growth in health informatics jobs—about 3,200 openings per year—over the next decade, significantly higher than the standard rate of growth for all jobs².

A combination of factors is driving this faster-than-average growth. The healthcare industry generates vast quantities of data every day, from clinical notes to lab results to medical images. And the industry needs health informatics specialists to protect, optimize, and make sense of all that data².

Add to that an aging population and federal mandates like the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), which promotes health information sharing, it’s an opportune time to launch a career in informatics.

Depending on your role and where you work, health informatics specialists can expect to earn anywhere from $63,000 to $165,000 per year⁷. Advancing into a management position can bring a 15–20% pay bump^8,9.

Health informatics specialists who work at tech companies tend to earn the most, followed by those who work at hospitals, non-acute care facilities, and other organizations, respectively¹⁰. Due to demand and cost of living, specialists in Alaska and California make 20–25% more than the national average¹¹.

With rising demand and competitive pay—not to mention the opportunity to make a positive impact on patient care—health informatics is a promising and rewarding career path.

A career in health informatics also offers opportunities for advancement or to branch into related roles. 

Many professionals start their career as an informatics analyst. Advancing to roles like clinical informaticist often requires a master’s degree. With enough experience, they can move up to informatics leadership roles, such as director of health informatics or even chief health information officer.

If you’re instead interested in shifting careers, informatics offers many alternative paths to diversify your career. Experienced specialists can transition into consulting, join a health tech startup, or shape public health policy.

Nurses, pharmacists, health administrators, and others with clinical backgrounds can leverage their firsthand knowledge of health care to specialize their health informatics career. Their clinical credentials earn the trust of health care providers, which can be especially beneficial during an EHR implementation. Their direct experience also gives them insight into how workflows can be improved.