Medical Informatics Specialists: What Are their Job Profiles?

Summary

Objectives: Since 1972, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn have jointly been running a medical informatics program. To continuously provide high quality education, the curriculum is regularly evaluated among its graduates. The objectives of this study were to assess the job situation of the graduates and to evaluate the curriculum from their viewpoint.

Method: Anonymous inquiry of all medical informatics graduates, having finished their studies before March 31, 2001 (n = 1024) using a structured questionnaire.

Results: The questionnaire was answered by 446 (compliance: 45.5%) graduates. About one third (146 of 444 valid cases) are working in software/ hardware companies. 179 (43.0% of 416 valid cases) graduates are working within medical informatics, 214 (51.4%) are working outside of medical informatics, but within other informatics. 23 (5.5%) graduates are working neither in medical nor in other informatics. 15 percent of the responding graduates have received a doctor’s degree. Software engineering, database and information systems are regarded as most important parts of the education. The majority of the graduates are satisfied with their education as well as with their personal career.

Conclusions: The variety of jobs, the job profiles, and the high level of our graduates’ satisfaction with their education indicate the relevance of specialized medical informatics programs with a curricular profile like the one in Heidelberg/Heilbronn. Investigations like this can help to adjust the contents of the curriculum to professional needs.

Keywords

Medical informatics - health informatics - education

• References

• 1 Douglas JV, Hovenga EJS. Health and Medical Informatics Competencies: Call to Participate in Updating the IMIA Recommendations. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 86-8.
• 2 van Bemmel JH, Musen MA. Handbook of Medical Informatics. Heidelberg: Springer; 1997
• 3 Haux R, Grant A, Hasman A, Hovenga E, Knaup P. Recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) on Education in Health and Medical Informatics. Methods of Information in Medicine 2000; 39: 267-77.
• 4 Hasman A, Albert A, Wainwright P, Klar R. Education and training in health informatics: guidelines for European curricula. Amsterdam: IOS Press; 1995
• 5 Mantas J. Health and Medical Informatics Education in Europe. Amsterdam: IOS; 2000
• 6 van Bemmel JH, Mc Cray AT. IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Stuttgart: Schattauer.; Annual appearance since 1992 Editors since 2001. Haux R, Kulikowski CA.
• 7 Anderson J, Gremy F, Pages JC. Education in Informatics of Health Personnel. Amsterdam: North Holland; 1974
• 8 Pagès JC, Levy AH, Grémy F, Anderson J. Meeting the Challenge: Informatics and Medical Education. Amsterdam: North Holland; 1983
• 9 Salamon R, Moehr JR, Protti DJ. Medical Informatics & Education. University of Victoria Press. Victoria: University of Victoria Press; 1989
• 10 van Bemmel J, Zvarova J. Knowledge, Information and Medical Education. Amsterdam: North Holland; 1991
• 11 Haux R, Leven FJ, Moehr JR, Protti DJ. Special issue on Health and Medical Informatics Education. Methods of Information in Medicine 1994; 33: 246-331.
• 12 Haux R, Swinkels W, Ball M, Knaup P, Lun KC. Special Issue Transformation of Health Care through Innovative Use of Information Technology for the 21st Century. International Journal of Medical Informatics 1998; 50: 1-300.
• 13 Musen MA, van Bemmel JH. Challenges for Medical Informatics as an Academic Discipline (Editorial). Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 1-3.
• 14 Haux R. Health Care in the Information Society: What Should Be the Role of Medical Informatics?. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 31-5.
• 15 Kulikowski CA. The Micro-Macro Spectrum of Medical Informatics Challenges: From Molecular Medicine to Transforming Health Care in a Globalizing Society. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 20-4.
• 16 Lun KC. Challenges in Medical Informatics: Perspectives of an International Medical Informatics Organization. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 60-3.
• 17 Musen MA. Medical Informatics: Searching for Underlying Components. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 12-9.
• 18 Shahar Y. Medical Informatics: between Science and Engineering, between Academia and Industry. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 8-11.
• 19 Talmon JL, Hasman A. Medical Informatics as a Discipline at the Beginning of the 21st Century. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 4-7.
• 20 van der Lei J. Closing the Loop between Clinical Practice, Research, and Education: The Potential of Electronic Patient Records. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 51-4.
• 21 Leven FJ. Curriculum for Medical Informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn. Methods of Information in Medicine 1994; 33: 262-7.
• 22 Leven FJ, Haux R. Twenty five years of medical informatics education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: discussion of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics. International Journal of Medical Informatics 1998; 50: 31-42.
• 23 Haux R, Dudeck J, Gaus W, Leven FJ, Kunath H, Michaelis J, Pretschner DP, Thurmayr R, Wolters E. Recommendations of the German Association of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology on Education in Medical Informatics. Methods of Information in Medicine 1992; 31: 60-70.
• 24 Haux R, Leven FJ. The Curriculum Medical Informatics Education at the University of Heidelberg / School of Technology Heilbronn: New Developments in its 5th Revision. In: Mantas J. Health and Medical Informatics Education in Europe. Amsterdam: IOS; 2000: 31-9.
• 25 Lindberg DAB. Medicine in the 21st Century: Global Problems, Global Solutions. Methods of Information in Medicine 2002; 41: 253-6.
• 26 Bouman LN, Zwetsloot-Schonk JHN, Jaspers MWM, Louter GL, Timmers T. The graduate training in medical informatics sciences in the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam. International Journal of Medical Informatics 1998; 50: 151-7.
• 27 Jaspers MWM, Limburg M, Ravesloot JJ. Medical informatics in Amsterdam: research and education. In: Haux R, Kulikowski C. IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2001. Stuttgart: Schattauer; 2001: 117-23.
• 28 Gardner RM. University of Utah Medical Informatics Research and Training Program. In: Haux R, and Kulikowski C. IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2001. Stuttgart: Schattauer; 2001: 103-11.
• 29 Warner HR. Graduate Program in Medical Informatics at the University of Utah. Methods of Information in Medicine 1994; 33: 258-61.
• 30 Jaspers MWM, Gardner RM, Gatewood LC, Haux R, Leven FJ, Limburg M, Ravesloot JH, Schmidt D, Wetter T. IFE: An International Partnership in Health Informatics Education. In: Hasman A, Blobel B, and Dudeck J. Medical Infobahn for Europe. Amsterdam: IOS Press; 2000: 549-53.
• 31 Möhr JR, Leven FJ, Rothemund M. Formal Education in Medical Informatics – Review of 10 Years’ Experience with a Specialized University Curriculum. Methods of Information in Medicine 1982; 21: 169-80.
• 32 Leven FJ, Klauck U. A Specialized Curriculum for Education in Medical Informatics: Review of 16 Years Experience with a Specialized University Curriculum. In: Salamon R, Protti D, Möhr JR. International Symposium on Medical Informatics and Education. Victoria, B.C.: University Press; 1989: 552-7.
• 33 Frey W, Haux R, Leiner F, Leven FJ. Medical Informatics Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Graduates’ Experiences and Job Situation. Methods of Information in Medicine 1994; 33: 290-8.
• 34 Patton GA, Gardner RM. Medical informatics education: the University of Utah experience. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 1999; 6: 457-65.
• 35 Haux R, Schmidt D. Master of science program in health information management at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: a health care oriented approach to medical informatics. International Journal of Medical Informatics 2002; 65: 31-9.
• 36 Chi X, Pavilcek K. A hypergraphic model of medical informatics: curriculum development guide. In: Proc AMIA Symp. Philadelphia: Henley & Belfus; 1999: 37-41.