How to become a Health Informatics Specialist
Official title: Health Informatics Specialists
Also called: Clinical Electronic Health Record Nurse (Clinical EHR Nurse), Clinical Informaticist, Clinical Informatics Analyst, Clinical Informatics Nurse, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Health Informaticist, Nursing Informatics Officer, Nursing Informatics Specialist, RN Clinical Information Systems Coordinator (Registered Nurse Clinical Information Systems Coordinator), RN Clinical Information Systems Educator (Registered Nurse Clinical Information Systems Educator)
Apply knowledge of nursing and informatics to assist in the design, development, and ongoing modification of computerized health care systems. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the health care system.
Main tasks
- Translate nursing practice information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, or designers, using object-oriented models or other techniques.
- Use informatics science to design or implement health information technology applications for resolution of clinical or health care administrative problems.
- Develop or implement policies or practices to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, or security of patient information.
- Analyze and interpret patient, nursing, or information systems data to improve nursing services.
- Identify, collect, record, or analyze data relevant to the nursing care of patients.
- Apply knowledge of computer science, information science, nursing, and informatics theory to nursing practice, education, administration, or research, in collaboration with other health informatics specialists.
- Develop, implement, or evaluate health information technology applications, tools, processes, or structures to assist nurses with data management.
- Design, develop, select, test, implement, and evaluate new or modified informatics solutions, data structures, and decision-support mechanisms to support patients, health care professionals, and their information management and human-computer and human-technology interactions within health care contexts.
How to become one
Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Studying a computer science or information systems field is common, although not always a requirement. Some firms hire job candidates who have a degree in business or liberal arts along with relevant skills.
Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- College: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 29 universities in the US
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $105,850 a year The middle half earn $82,860 to $134,110.
- About 544,400 people work in this job now, and about 587,200 are projected by 2035. (+7.9%)
- People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.
Related jobs
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Information Security Analysts
- Computer Programmers
- Telecommunications Engineering Specialists
- Computer and Information Research Scientists
- Computer Network Support Specialists
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Health Informatics Specialist?
Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Studying a computer science or information systems field is common, although not always a requirement. Some firms hire job candidates who have a degree in business or liberal arts along with relevant skills.
How much does a Health Informatics Specialist earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $105,850 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $82,860 to $134,110.
Is a Health Informatics Specialist a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 8% by 2035, from about 544,400 to about 587,200 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Health Informatics Specialist?
Usually. 72% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a Health Informatics Specialist?
People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.