Career Pathways in Health Informatics

1. Career Pathways in Health Informatics Mik Horswell UKCHIP

2. Subtitle - Objectives • What education, training, development pathways to follow for different HI jobs • Practical advice about available choices • How to choose the right CPD

3. What is Health Informatics “The knowledge, skills and tools which enable information to be collected, managed, used and shared to support the delivery of healthcare and to provide health and wellbeing.” - Making Information Count, DH 2002

5. What HI careers are there? • NHS Careers ( www.nhs.uk/careers ) • ASSIST ( www.assist.org.uk ) • UKCHIP ( www.ukchip.org ) • British Computer Society ( www.bcs.org.uk )

6. CIO Clinical Auditor Clinical Coder Clinical Researcher Data Analyst Director of Information Health Records Clerk Help Desk Support ICT Trainer Information Manager Librarian Knowledge Manager Network Manager Patient Services Administrator Project Manager Receptionist Statistician System security Manager Telecommunications Manager Ward Clerk …………………………………. ..fill in your job here….. What’s in a name?

7. Grouping HI Careers? • Managerial • Technical • Informatics/Information • Specialised

8. Management • Don’t have to know how to do it! • But must know lots of stuff • Can come from any of the disciplines • Strategy and planning • Operational, financial • CIO, HIS lead, Trust lead, Shared Services lead

9. Technical or ICT • Programming • Desktop support • Software • Hardware • Networking • Telecommunications • Help desk, training

10. Information - Informatics • Data Quality management • Data/information analysis • Performance monitoring • Audit and research • Public Health and Health Promotion • Statistics

12. Specialised • Library/Knowledge Management • Clinical Coding • Health Records • Clinical informatics • Information Governance

13. Training, Education and Development Pathways • Management – Masters, BCS, IHM, IOD, ILM, PRINCE2, etc • Technical – ITIL, Microsoft (MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCPD), Cisco CCNA, CompTIA, Novell, etc • Informatics – SQL, databasing, ISEB(BCS), MSc Informatics/statistics, IM&T Professional Awards • Specialised – CILIP, IHRIM (Cert. + Diploma, National Clinical Coding Qual.) • General – ECDL, ITQ (NVQ level) from E-skills and Learning Skills Council

14. Skills shortages

15. Perceptions of HI -1 • “Still poorly understood & appreciated as a profession” • “ICT is not taken seriously by the NHS” • Organisational change & financial position means no development & no recruitment” • Not enough staff to support national roll outs & implementations” • Staff are starting to leave the NHS in the hope of more security & better paid jobs elsewhere”

16. Perceptions of HI -2 • “Shortages are ever present - not seen as an essential requirement as they do not provide patient care” • “What is this nonsense about mandatory professional qualifications – it smacks of protectionism & self-interest” .

17. Why?...professionalise • “Capability & Capacity” (C&C) • IM&T Planning Guidance 2006/7: • PCT CEOs now NPfIT “Senior Responsible Officers” • SHA & PCT assessment of C&C

18. But really why? • Informatics is core to the NHS • Informatics is more business-critical every year • Done well: key contribution to delivering healthcare and NHS policy objectives • Done badly: can kill.

19. Medicine? The Law? Architecture and building? Engineering? Accountants? Agriculture? Economists? Aerospace? Nuclear physics? Football managers? Statistics? Software? Where & why does the public value professionals?

20. Elements of professionalism • Registration • Qualifications • Standards - professional & ethical • Regulation • Independence • Continuing professional development • Gives leadership in a field of learning • Ref: Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine, ‘Criteria for a Group to be Considered a Profession’, (1992), Lord Benson

21. Case for HI professionalisation • Protects patients • Benefits to organisations • Recognition • Investment in CPD • Career structures • Capacity, capability and morale.

22. …Yes but no!

23. Transformational Government Vision “The future of public services has to use technology to give citizens choice” “We are stronger and more effective when we work together than apart” “We have to have the right people… to plan, deliver and manage technology-based change”

24. Transformational Government Three key transformations: • Design services around citizens and businesses • Meet rising customer expectations • Give whole customer view to front-line staff • Ensure better policy and social outcomes • Move to shared services culture • Standardise, simplify, share • Release resources for front-line delivery • Professionalism in planning, delivery, management, skills and governance

25. Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis Times are changing and we are changing with them -Ovid

26. Continuing Professional Development • Degree, Masters • Management skills training • Specialist skills training courses • Conferences • Non work related • Networking events • Professional organisations

27. More CPD • Professional registration – UKCHIP • Self publicity • Writing articles • Speaking at conferences • Volunteering • CV sharpening • Positive • Brief • Successes

29. What one piece of careers advice would you give to someone going into the industry? “ If you don’t enjoy doing it you’ll never be as good as someone who does. So you will be second rate and unhappy. That applies to anything. You need to like what you’re doing.” - Linus Torvalds

33. Where else to look • www.hinos.org.uk • www.skillsforhealth.org.uk • www.ic.nhs.uk/informatics • www.bcs.org/hif/pdb • www.health-informatics.org • www.hpc-uk.org • www.cio.gov.uk/itprofession/index • www.espace.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/hic