Coursework
Listed are the courses taken related to the Bachelor of Health Sciences-Health Informatics. They cover a wide variety of health science, health informatics and information technology topics.
Analysis of Healthcare Data
Systems Acquisitions, Design and Implementation
Database Design and Implementation
Introduction to Project Management
Principles of Knowledge Management & Decision Support
Special Topics in Health Informatics
Introduction to Healthcare Informatics
C++ Programming
Object-Oriented Programming
Java Programming
Survey of Health Outcomes
Epidemiology
Interprofessional Teams in Healthcare Organizations
Principals of Health Insurance and Reimbursement
Principals of Management in Health Services Organizations
Legal Issues in the Health Care Environment
Ethical Theories and Moral Issues in Healthcare
Health Issues and Resources
Management of Health Information
Medical Terminology
Course Highlights
Introduction to Healthcare Informatics
This course served as an introduction to the health informatics major. This included an introduction to the various professional organizations, federal governmental agencies, and federal initiatives involved such as the HITECH Act. Besides learning new terminology, my basic knowledge was expanded to include information on topics such as interoperability, health information exchanges, clinical data support, evidence-based medicine, and mHealth. Of special interest to me were the topics of electronic health records and healthcare data analytics. Special presentations included cybersecurity and telemedicine. One element of this course consisted of using a simulated EHR to perform various activities. Another component of this course was the production of a two-person presentation on the use of technology in healthcare. This group project required coordinated research of peer reviewed material and a collaborative effort to create a slideshow using PowerPoint. Skilled demonstrated included time management, public speaking and PowerPoint.
Database Design and Implementation
This information technology course covered enterprise database technology and systems development. Concepts were covered such as database terms, stages in the systems development life cycle (SDLC), data modeling with the entity-relationship model, business rules, logical database design, and database normalization. These are the skills necessary to design a database schema. This knowledge was demonstrated by participation in group projects and exams. Then SQL, database administration and security, and data warehousing were learned and demonstrated using real world simulations in the lab environment and on exams. Use of Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio was learned. Database skill acquired included SQL, ER diagraming and VISIO.
Health Issues and Resources
This health science course served as an introduction to the U.S. health care system. The course started with a foundation and historical overview of the U.S. health system. I was interested in a variety of the topics that were covered in this course. The private/government funded U.S. healthcare insurance system was compared to the forms of universal healthcare around the world. This transitioned into market vs social justice. Medical tourism was another interesting topic. Other topics of concern were covered such as the aging population and aging healthcare workforce. The main takeaway of this course for me was the introduction to the concept of social determinants of health which is an important aspect of healthcare delivery and is also a topic in several other health science courses. The capstone project for this course was a group presentation. Our topic was the Affordable Care Act: Affect on the Market Place, Middle Class and Small Business. My specific area of the presentation covered the Affordable Care Act and its affect on the health insurance marketplace. This project required the coordinated effort of a 4 person team. My roles included topic sponsor and overall research coordinator. Skills utilized included public speaking, PowerPoint, and video production.