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In This Issue:  Masters in Health Informatics Kentucky e-Health Summit Meet the Board Membership SurveyLove Informatics? - Earn you Masters in Health Informatics at Northern Kentucky University
NKU plans to launch a new MS Degree and Graduate Level Certificate in Health Informatics Fall Semester, 2007. The programs were approved by the University Board of Regents in May and approved by the Commonwealth’s Council on Postsecondary Education in July. The programs were developed by the College of Informatics, and School of Nursing and Health Professions in collaboration with the regional healthcare industry. The programs will reside within the College of Informatics. The MS Program consists of 18 credits in foundation courses, 11 credits in elective courses and a required two semester capstone course/project sequence in the final year. Elective courses are in one of three categories: Health Informatics Policy, Business Process Management and Knowledge Management. Classes are offered in evenings and students are able to complete the program in two years if attending on a full-time basis. The Certificate Program is designed to provide core skills in health informatics to professionals and students while providing credentials and verification of competencies for professional development. This program consists of 12 credits, 3 required courses and one other selected from the foundation courses. The Certificate provides a point of entry to the MS Program with a majority of the foundation courses completed. The healthcare community was broadly engaged in developing the curriculum for the program. Working health care professional joined with NKU faculty on the Curriculum Planning Committee. In the planning process, the committee undertook detailed curriculum and best practice analyses by examining Health Informatics and Health IT Administration Graduate Programs from around the country and interviewing administrators. Also, more than 20 structured interviews of industry executives and managers were undertaken. The complete development process is documented here. The response to the programs by the regional healthcare industry has been great. Every institution and organization contacted about the program was eager to provide help in developing the curriculum and indicated a willingness to be involved in the capstone program. The capstone will provide students an opportunity to gain experiential knowledge while working onsite at a healthcare institution working on real world projects and problems. Students enrolled in the program who are already working in the healthcare industry will be allowed to develop a capstone project with their existing employer. Key objectives of the program are to meet the demand for professionals, as well as to work with institutions and organizations within the Commonwealth to advance the state of healthcare by improving patient care and promoting efficiency. In addition, working within the College of Informatics and NKU’s Infrastructure Management Institute, the program and faculty will support initiatives of economic development and engagement involving healthcare technology. For further information, or to apply go to http://mhi.nku.edu. Or call (859) 572-6366. Questions, comments, and suggestions from Bluegrass HIMSS members are particularly welcome. Kentucky e-Health Summit
The second Statewide e-Health Summit scheduled for December 6-7, 2007, at the Lexington Marriott Griffin Gate. Updates and more information can be found at Kentucky e-Health website or by contacting Trudi Matthews at Trudi.matthews@ky.gov. 07-08 Bluegrass HIMSS Board Members
Coming Soon - Bluegrass HIMSS Membership Survey
The survey will be sent out in late August or September. |
