Professional certifications are a valuable supplement to any resume in addition to higher education. In some cases, pursuing a higher education can support your pursuit of certifications or make you eligible to take the exams involved with each.
The following is a guide to which industry certifications USF Health Online helps prepare its students for, but it’s worth noting that these certifications are not a replacement to higher education, they merely supplement it and help build your resume as a subject matter expert in fields such as health informatics and healthcare analytics.
HIMSS Certifications
Dedicated to driving improved health outcomes through technology, the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a leading authority on health IT education. The University of South Florida is a HIMSS Approved Education Partner (AEP) and Academic Organizational Affiliate (AOA) and as such, we encourage our students to pursue certifications through HIMSS as a nice addition to their list of credentials.
HIMSS offers two distinctly different professional certification programs designed for different stages of a health IT professional’s career.
Designed for professionals in the early stages of their career, the Certified Associate in Health Information & Management Systems (CAHIMS) certification demonstrates professional knowledge in health information management systems and professional growth as you gain experience in the field.
An internationally recognized certification for health IT professionals with experience, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS) designates a proven expertise in health information management systems.
American Board of Preventative Medicine Clinical Informatics Certification
The ABPM’s Clinical Informatics certification is designed for physicians who practice clinical informatics to work with both healthcare and IT professionals in analyzing, designing, implementing and evaluating information systems. They use knowledge based in patient care and informatics concepts, methods and tools to improve clinical processes and decision support systems.
To sit for this exam, interested parties must have a master’s or PhD in biomedical informatics, health informatics, clinical informatics or a related subject from a university in the U.S. or Canada. This is part of the practice pathway, which is only open through 2022. If you are interested in pursuing this certification, now is the time to act.
AHIMA CHDA
Designed for professionals working in healthcare analytics, the Certified Health Data Analyst certificate offered by the American Health Information Management Association is a valuable credential to show that you have the ability and knowledge necessary to manage, analyze, interpret and transform data into accurate, timely information.
CAPM® from PMI
For students in the Master of Science in Health Informatics program, the HIM6664 – Healthcare Project Management course is a required course that supports the pursuit of the Project Management Institute’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification. It is available as an elective for students taking the healthcare analytics concentration.
The need for project managers in healthcare is becoming more pronounced as technology’s role continues to grow. Project management skills are used in many different healthcare professions, so even those not preparing to move into the field may want to consider taking the CAPM®.
Check out our podcast in which we interview USF graduate, Caroline Saavedra, about her work as a project manager in the Health IT space.
CAPM and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
Note: These certifications may carry education and work experience requirements. Typically, having a graduate degree reduces the work experience requirements. In addition, students must meet all exam eligibility requirements outlined.
