Bachelor of Science (BS)
in Allied Health,
Health Informatics
4-week
COURSES
Year-round
enrollment
220K+ Alumni Worldwide
Overview
Allied health professionals are involved with supporting and aiding the delivery of healthcare or related services and health systems management. The BS in Allied Health program provides a broad-based foundation in global and national healthcare issues and trends, ethical and legal issues, health promotion and disease prevention, evidence-based practice, allied healthcare research, healthcare systems management, and healthcare based informatics. The program prepares graduates to assume supervisory, management, and/or educational positions in the modern allied health profession and meet societal and healthcare delivery demands in a variety of settings.
The Health Informatics specialization focuses on effective and innovative use of information and communication technologies in healthcare organizations. Coursework prepares you to advance your career as an entry level health informatics specialist, support informatics teams, and communicate effectively with healthcare and technology professionals.
Course Details
Foundation Courses
For the Bachelor of Science in Allied Health with a specialization in Health Informatics, you must complete ten foundation courses and six specialization courses.
Course Name
A historic exploration of the U.S. healthcare delivery system to understand current issues and trends. This course studies the changing roles of system components within inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care. Instruction will focus on the technical, economic, political, and social forces affecting change.
An introduction to the concepts, procedures, and software used in the statistical analysis of data in the health professions.
This course focuses on the historical, cross-cultural, physiological, psychological, sociological, economic, and political aspects of aging. Retirement patterns, living environments, chronic disease, and the role of healthcare professionals will be explored.
An examination of planning, organizing, decision-making, staffing, leading, motivating, and communicating with healthcare personnel. This course analyzes evolving trends in management, classic management theories, budget preparation and justification, training design, and labor union contracts.
This course studies the legal and ethical principles used to resolve conflicts and dilemmas in healthcare. Coursework will use case studies to analyze scope of practice, informed consent, employee and patient rights and responsibilities, patient abuse, and the influence of finance and corporate culture.
An exploration of health education, health promotion, and clinical preventive services. You’ll study strategies for counseling, health education theories and practices, development of learner-centered instruction, and cost-effective preventive services.
This course focuses on the role of informatics in contemporary healthcare. Instruction will examine wireless and mobile computing; maintaining data integrity; information security and confidentiality; and HIPAA, telehealth, and electronic health records (EHR).
A study of how to read and conduct research in health and human performance. This course examines various research approaches, methods, and techniques, and culminates with the development of a research proposal.
This course explores case management and outcomes management as applied to clinical practice. You’ll analyze the barriers, utilization review, legalities, and financial aspects of each process while also assessing the merits of evidence-based healthcare.
This two-month project is the capstone to the series of foundation courses in the allied health program. It provides an opportunity for you to complete the outcomes management project proposal developed in HSC 430, and report on the results in oral and written form. You’ll also have the opportunity to design and participate in a collaborative service learning experience in a community, ambulatory, home, or healthcare setting. Finally, you’ll complete a collection of your work from all the foundation courses, and revise as needed to create an impressive final portfolio. Grading is H, S, or U only.
Specialization Courses
Course Name
An overview of core concepts surrounding emerging interconnections between technology, the organization, and information management.
A study of data standards, sources, terminologies, and ontologies in support of health information exchange. Coursework will explore health information security practices, privacy, confidentiality, and management of patient rights. You’ll also examine the use of clinical data and process modeling in medical decision-making, as well as policy development and documentation for information exchange.
An introduction to electronic health record (EHR) and communication systems. Coursework includes the application of meaningful-use criteria to optimize the quality and effectiveness of patient care and improve care coordination. Using a patient-centric model, you’ll explore care delivery innovations across multiple care settings and specialties.
A laboratory-based course where administrative and clinical health information systems and technologies are introduced and practiced. Coursework will provide experience with simulated health information systems, or real systems with simulated data.
This course examines technology applications used to support human health by individuals, professionals, care delivery organizations, and communities. Instruction focuses on the latest systems, standards, and policies that connect people and technologies securely across healthcare ecosystems. You’ll study internet-based health resources, smartphone/mHealth applications, telehealth, and health-related social networks.
An introduction to continuous quality improvement in healthcare. Topics of focus include: evaluation and risk management methods, outcome measurement and case management, team development, analytical statistics, and process knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
Students earning the BS in Allied Health degree with a Health Informatics specialization will learn to:
- Describe the requirements, design usability, product selection, and life cycle for software systems that support clinical and administrative technology for healthcare information and communications.
- Communicate effectively with healthcare and information technology professionals and staff working in the healthcare ecosystem.
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively use clinical and administrative healthcare information and communication systems.
- Design quality improvement for a healthcare organization as part of the implementation of information and communication technologies.
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.