North Carolina Health Informatics
In recent years, North Carolina has proved to be a hotbed of new and exciting employment fields. But there is one occupation that stands alone in its ability to produce generous wages in diverse environments – Health Care Informatics.
About a Health Informatics Career in North Carolina
Poised at the crossroads of technology, communication, and medicine, Health Informatics involves the recording, storing, and careful distribution of the colossal quantities of data produced in all manner of organizations. Hospitals, clinics, college campuses, and correctional facilities are just a few of the institutions with a need for accuracy-oriented individuals to manage their data streams. Health Informatics professionals offer employers their services as highly trained information management technicians, distributing the necessary letters and numbers with an eye toward ethical and legal proficiency.
North Carolina Health Informatics Links – NC
In North Carolina (and in America in general, for that matter), Health Informatics workers come in two forms. First is the Registered Health Information Technician, or RHIT, who earns their title by completing an Associate’s degree program at an accredited two year college. Higher up is the Registered Health Information Administrator, or RHIA, who spends four years in order to complete a Bachelor’s degree in the field.
RHIT & RHIA Certification in NC
Certification in both the RHIT and RHIA fields comes from one place – the Commission on the Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management, commonly shorted to CAHIIM. This organization sets the standards for education in the field, parceling out their approval only to those programs meeting their rigorous set of educational criteria. Not all college programs in Health Informatics are measure up, making CAHIIM certified graduates a hot commodity in the labor pool.
Health Informatics Salary in North Carolina
With an estimated employment total of just over 5,000 , Health Informatics is one of the most popular fields of employment in North Carolina. As of May 2009, the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that new RHITs earned somewhere in the neighborhood of $11.55 per hour, putting their annual income a tick over $24,000. The midrange earners draw $14.78 per hour, with annual take home pay topping $30,700. The elite in the field earn upwards of $22 each hour, which amounts to just under $46,000 annually.
*Salary Data: Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Earnings Statistics
Health Informatics Degrees in NC
There are few states which offer as many education choices as North Carolina. CAHIIM has issued authorization to the curricula of ten different schools, eight of which feature two year RHIT certification through an Associate’s level degree in health informatics are similar. Two other colleges, East Carolina University and Western Carolina University, up the ante with four year Bachelor’s degree certification. To find a single RHIA program is not terribly common – the presence of two such options showcases the wealth of choice available to the students of Tar Heel country.
With such a diverse educational environment, students of all ages are sure to find a health informatics program that works for them. Several schools offer their RHIT certification in a primarily online class form, affording their participants the freedom to schedule their own education. In a field enjoying so much popularity among non traditional students, this comes as a welcome option.
RHIA and RHIT graduates are universally encouraged to join the American Health Information Management Association, also known as AHIMA . Members of this highly respected professional organization can look forward to earning several exclusive benefits. Besides having access to all of the latest news regarding technological advances in the occupation, job searchers will have access to AHIMA’s regularly updated employment listings.