News

QUT's Faculty of Health is once again at the forefront of health education with the introduction of the new Bachelor of Health Information Management in 2013.

QUT is the only university in Queensland offering the program, and is one of only three current providers Australia-wide.

The program, which will accept its first intake of undergraduate enrolments in February next year, focuses on the management of information in all forms - paper and electronic - with emphasis on business processes, information technology and communication skills. Graduates will act as the communication bridge between clinicians and health service managers.

The Faculty previously offered a similar program which was focused on medical records with graduates generally beginning work within hospital health information departments.

QUT National Centre for Health Information Research and Training Director and Senior Lecturer Sue Walker said the new program had been developed due to industry demand, skills shortages both in Australia and overseas, and Federal government investment in eHealth and information technology.

She said current initiatives from the government and around the world had changed the way health information was created, shared and used for patient care and the management of health services.

"Locally, these initiatives include the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record and Activity Based Funding activities, both of which are underpinned by the necessity for good health information," she said.

"There are requirements for quality health information to be available more rapidly and in a variety of formats.

"As a result, graduates of our new Bachelor of Health Information Management will have skills in IT, data and project management and medicine, which are vital to support these new government initiatives."

Across the three years of the full-time degree program, students will undertake a combination of practical and theoretical learning, including work integrated learning and placement opportunities to gain 'real world' experience in a hospital or other health facility.

The final semester of the degree offers the students the opportunity to undertake project work and advanced practical work four days each week to facilitate transition to the workplace.

Mrs Walker said the Faculty recognised a number of working professionals would be interested in the new program, including those currently working in health information who wished to formalise their qualifications and those in clinical roles preferring to be less 'hands on'.

"QUT has a very supportive process to review prior learning, both at university level and through other forms of education, and also that gained through life experiences," she said.

"We anticipate that students who can demonstrate that they have skills in the areas we will be teaching will be offered advanced standing. These include previous study or experience in IT, management and health sciences. QUT considers requests for recognition of prior learning on a case-by-case basis and we encourage potential students to explore this opportunity.

"Students can enrol in the degree full-time or part-time and some of the units will be available in block mode. We will be working towards making the degree fully flexible in the future."

QUT Health Information Management graduate Megan Hayes enjoys the diversity and challenges of working within the health information management field.

After graduating in 2010, Megan works for Mater Health Services in Brisbane where she leads, manages, supports and promotes health information management best practice for all Mater facilities.

She said she was led to a career in health information management due to the career opportunities resulting from the shift towards more information and communication technologies supporting data collection, and a personal interest in the healthcare industry.

"Since studying at QUT and entering the workforce, one of the biggest things I've come to appreciate about the health information management profession is how many different career paths are available to graduates," she said.

"Many of our skills are transferable which means you will find qualified Health Information Managers working in lots of other industries as well.

"The degree has fostered my ability to critically analyse situations and relevant documentation (for example, policies and procedures) to identify gaps in health information management practices.

"Every day I use the principles of health information management best practice that I learnt during my degree to ensure that the Mater is doing all they can to protect patient privacy, ensure our clinicians have access to high-quality information when they need it, and the organisation is meeting all of its legislative and accreditation requirements."

For further information please visit the Bachelor of Health Information Management page or telephone Sarah Shepley on 3138 4697 or Lillian Okorn on 3138 5856.