Dan Logan already had what most college students seek when he enrolled in USF Health’s Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics program. A good job with a stable company and a graduate degree in healthcare administration weren’t enough for Logan though, as he decided to learn more about one of healthcare’s most important disciplines.
Logan, of Tampa, Florida, works in sales for a large pharmaceutical firm. Given his occupation, you might wonder why his interest in health informatics was so strong. But Logan sees the pharma sector taking on a great interest in informatics and wanted to open the door to new opportunities for himself.
“Informatics isn’t just for providers,” Logan says. “Pharmaceutical companies use the science of informatics to help customers understand and improve the patient journey. For example, when a patient is admitted to the hospital through the emergency department, can length of stay be reduced by appropriate pathway and protocol formulation? In other words, can we analyze the pharmacoeconomics of a product or a therapy, and although drug A may cost more than drug B, can drug A get the patient out of the hospital quicker and save money overall and improve patient care?”
In a sales role, Logan spends a lot of time looking at the hospital setting. Understanding how informatics fuels decision making allows him to be a better resource for clientele. Given that he already had a graduate credential in healthcare administration, a graduate certificate in health informatics was an ideal fit for Logan.
“Hospitals are relying more and more on health informatics to drive decisions,” Logan says. “The graduate certificate in health informatics is exactly what I need at this point to fulfill my company’s requirements.”
HIMSS for Students
Logan attended the most recent HIMSS conference in Orlando courtesy of a student HIMSS membership. At the cost of $30 per year, HIMSS student members enjoy the same benefits as regular HIMSS members. Logan encourages every student to take advantage of this and to attend the annual conference.
“If you are new to the field like I am, there is a path that is pre-set for students,” Logan says of the conference. “I would suggest doing that if it is your first time. If you are more experienced, you can create an agenda based upon areas of interest on the HIMSS website. The real value in the HIMSS conference, from my standpoint as a first-time student, was understanding the current trends in health informatics and understanding the challenges systems face when dealing with Health IT.”
The conference attracts roughly 45,000 people each year and is packed with education sessions, networking opportunities and important industry announcements. For Logan, keeping it simple for his first time was his key to success.
“It was my first time, so I was a bit overwhelmed,” Logan says. “It’s one of the largest conventions in the U.S. Most of the forums I attended were for beginners and centered around career advice and introductions to health informatics for students. My biggest takeaway is that health informatics is still a relatively new field with many exciting opportunities. If you are going to attend HIMSS, have a plan as to what you want to accomplish. It is a huge event, so it’s impossible to see everything.”
Why USF?
Logan chose USF for a number of reasons, going beyond his familiarity with it as a local to the school’s Tampa location. A big part of it was the university’s reputation for academic excellence. It’s a brand of education that runs Logan’s family, with his daughter entering her senior year at USF studying speech therapy.
But in the end, convenience played a factor as well.
“I needed an online option because I work full-time, and the fact that this program is part of the Morsani School of Medicine lends credibility in the community,” Logan says.
USF Health’s role in shaping the healthcare workforce is something Logan feels will make a big difference in the healthcare industry. Lending context to the health IT landscape, USF’s program and the faculty are helping create the future of healthcare through talent development.
“The role of USF, as I see it, is to help students understand the history of health IT, the current status of health IT and what the future of health IT looks like,” Logan says. “But more importantly, I see USF educating students to make a difference in the lives of patients and as a public research university, USF faculty continuing to do research on how to improve quality of care and reduce cost as healthcare costs continue to rise.”
