Dr. Naveen Prasath Baskaran decided to pursue a Master of Science in Health Informatics through USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine during his residency training at John H. Stoger Jr. Hospital in Chicago.
Originally from India, Dr. Naveen found that he was spending more time with electronic health records than the face-to-face patient interaction he was accustomed to—a process-heavy approach to providing healthcare, which motivated him to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery by leveraging healthcare technology.
He has already begun to work with multiple communities to improve patient outcomes, patient safety, reduce burnout amongst physicians and healthcare providers, and provide clinical decision support using health informatics.
Balancing a Career with Education
For Dr. Naveen, USF Health’s online master’s program was the perfect opportunity to further his education in health informatics while balancing the rigorous schedule of his residency training and, later, as a practicing physician.
“I started the master’s when I was in residency training. In residency training, the working hours are 70-80 hours per week. If I’m able to [complete the program] with this time frame, anyone can do it.”
Dr. Naveen found that the main advantage of studying online was the ability to access the online classroom and course materials at any time or location. “For a working professional, I think it’s very flexible.”
The Online Learning Experience
The decision to earn his MSHI from USF Health specifically was a result of seeing colleagues going through the program successfully while juggling similar job responsibilities. The program’s flexibility and reputation made it appealing and a good fit for his busy schedule without compromising on the quality and relevance of his education.
Throughout his online experience, Dr. Naveen worked with friendly, responsive professors.
“With each assignment and discussion, we got updated feedback and suggestions, which we can implement on the next projects or assignments,” he said when asked about the interaction within the online classroom.
Additional student support was an important feature to Dr. Naveen when selecting an online program. “It’s a major thing to put you on track, send you the enrollment forms, and give you a reminder to complete the form on time.” He continued stating, “on multiple occasions, I have asked some questions repetitively, and my Student Success Coach was very patient in explaining the whole process…”
Immediate Value
The most valuable experience to Dr. Naveen during his online program came from the project management courses, “As a professional, you interact with multiple people, you work on multiple projects. Things you learn can be readily applied to your life at the same time and you can see how it makes an impact.”
He had the opportunity to immediately apply course concepts in real time to his residency training, relating what he learned from the course to communicate with the technical team at his workplace and work towards improving patient care.
Dr. Naveen is looking forward to using his USF Health education to advance his career as a physician and use healthcare technology to the benefit of his patients and practice.
