Career Pathways in Health Informatics

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Career Pathways in Health Informatics

• Mik Horswell
• UKCHIP

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Subtitle - Objectives

• What education, training, development pathways to
  follow for different HI jobs
• Practical advice about available choices
• How to choose the right CPD

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What is Health Informatics

• The knowledge, skills and tools which enable
  information to be collected, managed, used and
  shared to support the delivery of healthcare and
  to provide health and wellbeing.
• - Making Information Count, DH 2002

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What HI careers are there?

• NHS Careers ( www.nhs.uk/careers )
• ASSIST ( www.assist.org.uk )
• UKCHIP ( www.ukchip.org )
• British Computer Society
• ( www.bcs.org.uk )

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Whats in a name?

• CIO
• Clinical Auditor
• Clinical Coder
• Clinical Researcher
• Data Analyst
• Director of Information
• Health Records Clerk
• Help Desk Support
• ICT Trainer
• Information Manager
• Librarian
• Knowledge Manager

• Network Manager
• Patient Services Administrator
• Project Manager
• Receptionist
• Statistician
• System security Manager
• Telecommunications Manager
• Ward Clerk
• .
• ..fill in your job here..

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Grouping HI Careers?

• Managerial
• Technical
• Informatics/Information
• Specialised

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Management

• Dont have to know how to do it!
• But must know lots of stuff
• Can come from any of the disciplines
• Strategy and planning
• Operational, financial
• CIO, HIS lead, Trust lead, Shared Services lead

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Technical or ICT

• Programming
• Desktop support
• Software
• Hardware
• Networking
• Telecommunications
• Help desk, training

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Information - Informatics

• Data Quality management
• Data/information analysis
• Performance monitoring
• Audit and research
• Public Health and Health Promotion
• Statistics

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Specialised

• Library/Knowledge Management
• Clinical Coding
• Health Records
• Clinical informatics
• Information Governance

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Training, Education and Development Pathways

• Management Masters, BCS, IHM, IOD, ILM,
  PRINCE2, etc
• Technical ITIL, Microsoft (MCSA, MCSE, MCTS,
  MCPD), Cisco CCNA, CompTIA, Novell, etc
• Informatics SQL, databasing, ISEB(BCS), MSc
  Informatics/statistics, IMT Professional Awards
• Specialised CILIP, IHRIM (Cert. Diploma,
  National Clinical Coding Qual.)
• General ECDL, ITQ (NVQ level) from E-skills and
  Learning Skills Council

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Skills shortages
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Perceptions of HI -1

• Still poorly understood appreciated as a
  profession
• ICT is not taken seriously by the NHS
• Organisational change financial position means
  no development no recruitment
• Not enough staff to support national roll outs
  implementations
• Staff are starting to leave the NHS in the hope
  of more security better paid jobs elsewhere

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Perceptions of HI -2

• Shortages are ever present - not seen as an
  essential requirement as they do not provide
  patient care
• What is this nonsense about mandatory
  professional qualifications it smacks of
  protectionism self-interest .

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Why?...professionalise

• Capability Capacity (CC)
• IMT Planning Guidance 2006/7
• PCT CEOs now NPfIT Senior Responsible Officers
• SHA PCT assessment of CC

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But really why?

• Informatics is core to the NHS
• Informatics is more business-critical every year
• Done well key contribution to delivering
  healthcare and NHS policy objectives
• Done badly can kill.

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Where why does the public value professionals?

• Medicine?
• The Law?
• Architecture and building?
• Engineering?
• Accountants?
• Agriculture?

• Economists?
• Aerospace?
• Nuclear physics?
• Football managers?
• Statistics?
• Software?

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Elements of professionalism

• Registration
• Qualifications
• Standards - professional ethical
• Regulation
• Independence
• Continuing professional development
• Gives leadership in a field of learning
• Ref Council for Professions Supplementary to
  Medicine, Criteria for a Group to be Considered
  a Profession, (1992), Lord Benson

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Case for HI professionalisation

• Protects patients
• Benefits to organisations
• Recognition
• Investment in CPD
• Career structures
• Capacity, capability and morale.

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Yes but no!
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Transformational Government
Vision The future of public services has to use
technology to give citizens choice We are
stronger and more effective when we work together
than apart We have to have the right people
to plan, deliver and manage technology-based
change
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Transformational Government
Three key transformations

• Design services around citizens and businesses
• Meet rising customer expectations
• Give whole customer view to front-line staff
• Ensure better policy and social outcomes
• Move to shared services culture
• Standardise, simplify, share
• Release resources for front-line delivery
• Professionalism in planning, delivery,
  management, skills and governance

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Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis

• Times are changing and we are changing with them
• -Ovid

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Continuing Professional Development

• Degree, Masters
• Management skills training
• Specialist skills training courses
• Conferences
• Non work related
• Networking events
• Professional organisations

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More CPD

• Professional registration UKCHIP
• Self publicity
• Writing articles
• Speaking at conferences
• Volunteering
• CV sharpening
• Positive
• Brief
• Successes

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What one piece of careers advice would you give
to someone going into the industry?

• If you dont enjoy doing it youll never be as
  good as someone who does. So you will be second
  rate and unhappy.
• That applies to anything. You need to like what
  youre doing.
• - Linus Torvalds

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Where else to look

• www.hinos.org.uk
• www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
• www.ic.nhs.uk/informatics
• www.bcs.org/hif/pdb
• www.health-informatics.org
• www.hpc-uk.org
• www.cio.gov.uk/itprofession/index
• www.espace.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/hic