What Industry Wants: An Empirical Analysis of Health Informatics Job Postings

Expectations of employers in the United States for entry-level public health job skills with a bachelor's degree: an analysis of the positions advertised in an online job portal

Objectives

To analyze the current public health labor market for bachelor's-level graduates.

Methods

Public health-related job postings (N = 365) from across the United States were collected from an online job portal, Indeed.com, from November 7-14, 2022. Job titles, organization type, degree requirements, work experience, job location, and preferred skills for bachelor's-level public health positions were analyzed.

Results

Thirty-one job titles were identified. Approximately one-third (32.33%) of postings were from the Northeastern US; 23.56% were from the Southeastern region. Thirty-five job skill categories were identified. Most jobs (92.33%) required oral and written communication skills, and 85.21% specified educational skills for public health promotion. Cultural competency, project management, and case management abilities were also highly sought.

Conclusion

This study revealed the needs of the public health workforce and bolstered the case that public health degree-seekers should be equipped with a set of strategic skills applicable to a range of multisectoral and multidisciplinary public health jobs.

Policy implications

Given the rapid changes in the field of public health, ongoing analysis of the labor market benefits educators, employers, and policymakers alike.

A Data-Driven Assessment of the U.S. Health Informatics Programs and Job Market

BACKGROUND

 Health Informatics (HI) is an interdisciplinary field, integrating health sciences, computer science, information science, and cognitive science to assist health information management, analysis, and utilization. As the HI field is broad, it is impossible that a student will be able to master all the diverse HI topics. Thus, it is important to train the HI students based on the offering of the various HI programs and needs of the current market. This project will study the U.S. HI programs, training materials, HI job market, the skillset required by the employers, competencies taught in HI programs, and comparisons between them.

METHODS

 We collected the training information for the 238 U.S. universities that offered MS, PhD, or postbaccalaureate certificate programs in HI or related professions. Next, we explored the HI job market by randomly checking 200 jobs and their required skillsets and domain knowledge. Then, we compared these skillsets with those offered by the HI programs and identified the gaps and overlaps for program enhancements.

RESULTS

 Among the 238 U.S. universities, 94 universities offer HI programs: 92 universities with MS (Master of Science), 43 with doctoral, 42 with both MS and doctoral, and 54 with certificate programs. The most offered HI courses are related to practicum, data analytics, research, and ethics. For the HI job postings, the three most technical skillsets required in HI job posting are data analysis, database management, and knowledge of electronic health records. However, only 58% of HI programs offer courses in database management and analytics. Compared with American Medical Informatics Association's recommended 10 fundamental domains, the HI curriculum generally lacks training in socio-technical systems, social-behavioral aspects of health, and interprofessional collaborative practice.

CONCLUSION

 There are gaps between the industry expectations of HI and the training received in HI programs. Advance level technical courses are needed in HI programs to meet industry expectations.