The most direct professional application for a health information management degree is to become a health information technician or manager. Health information technician is the entry-level position available for students with a health information management degree, with an average salary of $39,180. However, being a health information technician does not require an advanced degree in health information management, and if you have a master’s degree in health information management, you are qualified to become a health service manager, which earns an average annual salary of $98,350. There are currently 352,200 health services managers that are employed full time in the United States, and that number is projected to grow by 20% over the next decade, so a health information management degree is a safe bet for stable future employment.
Related: Health Informatics Salary Guide
Beyond becoming a health information manager, there are a variety of other professions that will utilize the skills you learn in your degree program, which will give you more information about what you can do with a health information management degree. Consider these other lucrative careers available for health information management graduates:
- Administrative Services Manager: Administrative Service Managers devise organizational strategies to provide support services for a variety of large institutions. The Information Science and Management Science courses that you will take in a health information management program will qualify you for many of these positions, though job responsibilities vary by company. They make an average annual salary of $94,020, and there are currently 281,700 employed positions in the United States, with that number expected to increase by 10% over the next decade.
- Human Resources Manager: Human Resource Managers are responsible for recruiting and hiring capable employees, and ensuring that their capabilities align with executive expectations. Courses in behavioral science and management science that are offered by health information management programs are applicable to human resource management positions. They make an average annual salary of $110,120, and there are currently 136,100 full-time positions employed in the United States, with that number expected to increase by 9% over the next decade.
- Information Systems Manager: Information systems managers plan and coordinate the digital activities of large institutions to make their services more efficient. The computer science, information technology, and management science courses that you will take in a health information management degree program will prepare you for a career as an information systems manager. They make an average annual salary of $139,220, and there are currently 367,600 positions currently employed in the United States, with that number projected to rise by 12% over the next decade.
- Epidemiologist: Epidemiologists collect data and analyze patterns of infectious disease to help populations address public health safety issues. The public health, information science, and behavioral science classes that are offered in a health information management curriculum will give students the option of pursuing a career as an epidemiologist. Epidemiologists make an average annual salary of $69,660, and there are currently 6,100 epidemiologists employed full time in the United States, with that number expected to increase by 9% over the next decade.
If you would like to learn first hand about what you can do with a health information management degree, the next step is to find a program that you might be interested in and visit their website to request more information.
