Once you have obtained several years of experience in the health informatics field, you might want to further advance your career by obtaining a certification; as job experience and a recognized certification might improve your chances of being hired.
In addition, it will give you the option to get a more holistic understanding of this field, as you might be working in a specific area (i.e., analytics), and you might want to learn more about cybersecurity or data governance in healthcare. You also might be a mid-career professional and are looking to move to the next step of your career, to a senior or executive role.
One tip I have for advancing your career is to use LinkedIn to understand the career paths of senior management in the health informatics field (i.e., Chief Information Officers of hospitals or healthcare organizations). You might find that some of them began with a clinical background, obtained IT skills along the way working as a Business Analyst, and then took management roles until they ended up where they are today. Taking notes on common courses or programs that mid-level or senior-level professionals have completed, is key to mapping out where you might want to go with your own career. In the table below, I have compiled a list of some common certifications in the health informatics field and their associated requirements:
| Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) | Check your eligibility here |
| CPHIMS-CA (Canadian version of the above certification) | Check your eligibility here |
| American Medical Informatics Association Health Informatics Certification | Check your eligibility here |
| American Health Information Management Association Registered Health Information Technician Certification | Check your eligibility here |
However, maybe you are working currently as a project manager or business analyst in the health informatics field and don’t want to obtain a certification that is so specific to the healthcare industry. If this is the case, there are also many other certifications that might be applicable to your job title.
For instance, Prosci’s Change Management Certification Program might be helpful for those who are involved with implementing EHR systems in hospitals and have a role in training clinical staff on new systems. The Project Management Professional Certification might be helpful for those who are project managers or project coordinators in their current roles and want to continue to grow in the role. The Certified Business Analysis Professional might be beneficial for those who currently work as a business analyst in the healthcare domain and are looking to hone their skills as a business analyst, for example, learning to write better requirements and technical documentation.
There are many certifications out there, if you can think of it, it probably exists! When thinking of the best certification for you, you should take the time to reflect on if you want to enhance your skill in the specific industry you are working in, for example, I really enjoy working in healthcare, therefore I am working on obtaining my certification related to that specific industry. However, if you really enjoy the job title of a business analyst or project manager, you might consider obtaining your certification related to that job title, to improve specific skills associated with the role.
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