Health Informatics Careers are Taking Off

Seniors graduating from the University of Pittsburgh Health Informatics (HI) undergraduate program are watching their careers take off! As of January 2023, 63% of Pitt HI seniors have already secured a job in health informatics after they graduate in April 2023—our best year yet! There is no understating that the job market is hot for health informatics students. Surveys of Pitt HI graduates compiled by Assistant Professor Kim Peterson show that they are beginning their careers with an average salary of $72,700–an impressive start for students receiving their bachelor’s degree.

The field of health informatics is expanding and with it the demand for HI professionals. Why? The volume of health care data has exploded as technology has improved. Health data is collected at your doctor visits as part of a lifelong electronic health record as well as by the daily monitoring of devices like the smart watch on your wrist. This data tells a story, so it needs to be managed and analyzed to be turned into useful health information. Health informatics professionals form this important link to support clinical care, administrative forecasting and finding the treatment modalities to better address and eliminate diseases. We believe the following statement is true: “The cure for cancer is found in the data!” The health informatics professional will pave the way in these life-changing discoveries.

All Pitt HI students are required to do an internship during their junior or senior year. HI faculty prepare them for applying to their preferred internship site by helping with resume writing skills and mock interviews. As a result, the students are well prepared for the interview and internship experience, and they are often the first students to get job offers prior to finishing their HI degree. Many of our seniors are recruited from internship sites such as Deloitte, Cigna, UPMC, Highmark and CVS/Aetna and work as Healthcare Solutions Advisory Associates, Client Support Operations Analysts and Business Technology Solutions Analysts.

During the students’ junior and senior years, they are introduced to and able to network with many health informatics professionals from the above-mentioned companies who volunteer to guest lecture at our HI classes about current trends and advancements. By the time students graduate, they have met some of the top leaders in the health informatics profession.

The future is bright for health informatics and students who will work with health care data that could reveal cures for disease and improve the quality of life for all of us. Come join us!

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Interested in learning more about the Pitt Health Informatics program? Visit our website or talk to one of our Enrollment Specialists at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu!

By Natalie Baney
Natalie Baney