Hello Dr.
My name is Yibeltal, a pharmacy student graduating May 2018 I am very interested in learning about the opportunities a pharmacist have as a health informatics. Especially, what are the paths to get to that level?
As a student I need to know the options to get to that level.
I would really appreciate if you share your experience.
Thank you
Hello Yibeltal,
First off, congratulations on almost being done with your degree. That’s no small accomplishment 🙂
There are different paths that you can follow in order to get into the Health Informatics field. The path I took is quite different from that of some of my counterparts so do bear in mind that how you individually get there may not be identical to anyone else’s journey, but you can get there nonetheless.
For me, the truth is that I literally fell into it… I happened to be at the right place at the right time to take advantage of an opportunity that presented itself, and while my fellow pharmacists didn’t all think as far outside the box as I did, I was willing to take a chance on parlaying my medical/pharmacy background into the IT world.
On the other hand, I worked with people who followed the track of getting Masters Degrees in Health Informatics. They studied the theories in school but we all learned the hands-on techniques on the job.
Did having a degree in Health Informatics give them an advantage or an edge over me or others who didn’t…? I don’t think so, but no knowledge is ever lost and the truth is that their learning curve may have been slightly less steep than say mine, but it was nothing significant.
So, is going the route of getting more education for you or are you willing to keep your eyes open for potential opportunities as they come your way?
My advice:Â Unless you’re really itching to add another degree to your toolbelt, focus on keeping your eyes open for opportunities that come your way. They’re out there… You just have to be paying close attention.