Health Informatics (BS)

Summary

The Health Informatics program prepares students to use Information Systems and Health Information Technology (HIT) to design, evaluate, adopt, and apply technology-based innovations in healthcare delivery, management, and research. Study will include aspects of data acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of health information to meet demands of current healthcare issues through innovative and entrepreneurial strategies. Courses will help students develop collaborative team skills, project management and leadership skills, along with the technical knowledge needed for data-informed decision making. Student will be able to articulate the various types of healthcare organizations, and ways that HIT is incorporated to solve problems in multidisciplinary real-life settings. 

Catalog Year

2023-2024

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Credits

76

Total Credits

120

Locations

Mankato

Program Requirements

Required General Education

An introduction to the general principles and methods used in the study of microorganisms. Lab included. Prereq: One BIOL course and one semester of chemistry from among CHEM 104, CHEM 106, CHEM 111, or CHEM 201. Fall, Spring, Summer

Prerequisites: One BIOL course and one semester of chemistry from among CHEM 104, CHEM 106, CHEM 111, or CHEM 201

Goal Areas: GE-03

This course is an introduction to organic chemistry and biological chemistry. The laboratory will reinforce lecture.

Prerequisites: CHEM 106 or high school chemistry

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-03

This course uses health humanities storytelling to prepare students with a sincere concern for human values within the capture, management, and evaluation of health information. Students will explore the synergy between health related data, healthcare informatics, and outcome measures. Students will gain fundamental information technology skills to understand and critique data, identify relationships between visual arts and written works regarding health, and explore cultural aspects of healthcare experiences and risk adjustment of quality outcome measures.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Students in this course approach writing as a subject of study by investigating how writing works across a variety of contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1A

Cultural aspects of interactions between people and their environment focusing on spatial patterns of population, agriculture, politics, language, religion, industrialization, and urbanization. Emphasis is placed on the processes that create the cultural landscape and on management of land and natural resources.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08

Diverse Cultures: Purple

An introduction to the dimensions of wellness; physical, emotional, occupational, intellectual, financial, interpersonal, cultural, environmental, and spiritual health of the individual.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-10

This course will cover topics of precalculus mathematics. Topics covered will include functions, graphs of functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, conic sections, systems of equations and inequalities, matrices, trigonometric functions, circular functions, vectors and complex numbers, induction, series and probability.

Prerequisites: Satisfy Math Placement Table in this section, or grade of P in MATH 098.

Goal Areas: GE-04

Focuses on core concepts of the nursing profession. Students will learn about caring, role of courage in nursing, cooperation and collaboration in groups and caring for self and others in the larger community. APA style in formal writing is required.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-11

This course is designed to provide a thorough introduction to the broad spectrum of theories and applications that make up the field of psychology

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Choose 3 Credit(s). Choose one of the following COMM courses:

A course designed to improve students' understanding in communication, including the areas of interpersonal, nonverbal, listening, small group and public speaking.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1B

A course in communication principles to develop skills in the analysis and presentation of speeches.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1B

Choose 4 Credit(s). Choose one of the following statistics courses:

This course emphasizes understanding the conceptual basis of common statistical procedures and applying those procedures to the problems of organizing information and making inferences from data. Topics include: summarizing data, the logic of inference, estimation, analysis of variance, and correlation.

Prerequisites: Complete one course: MATH 112, MATH 113, MATH 115, MATH 121, MATH 130, or STAT 154

An introduction to statistical concepts and methods that is applicable to all disciplines. Topics include descriptive measures of data, probability and probability distributions, statistical inference, tests of hypotheses, confidence intervals, correlation, linear regression, and analysis of variance. The use of statistical software will be emphasized. Prereq: ACT Math sub-score of 19 or higher, successful completion of MATH 098 or appropriate placement scores (see Placement Information under Statistics) Fall, Spring, Summer GE-4

Prerequisites: Satisfy Placement Table in this section, or MATH 098 with grade of P.

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-04

Choose 3 Credit(s). Choose one of the following ethics courses:

Discussion of theories of value and obligation.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-09

Ethical perspectives relevant to issues such as euthanasia, genetic engineering, organ transplant, patients' rights, abortion, etc.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-09

Prerequisites to the Major

Systems approach to the structure of the human body. The course is designed for students majoring in biology or health related programs. Lab included.

Prerequisites: none

Principles of functions of human cells, organs, and systems with an emphasis on organ/system interactions. This course is designed for students majoring in biology, chemistry, or related sciences, and medically-related areas. Includes a laboratory with a research and medical emphasis.

Prerequisites: BIOL 220, CHEM 104 or CHEM 106 or CHEM 111 or CHEM 201

Introduction to learning the written and oral communication of technical information. Assignments include writing and presenting proposals, reports, and documentation. Emphasis on use of rhetorical analysis, computer applications, collaborative writing, and usability testing to complete technical communication tasks in the workplace.

Prerequisites: ENG 101

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-13

Major Common Core

3 credits of CIS 497 are required for the major. Additional credits may only be used to satisfy degree requirements.

This course provides conceptual and logical tools for students planning to major in a computing-based major. Programming in a high-level language such as C++, Python, or Java, and the development of skills in abstraction, problem-solving, and algorithmic thinking are emphasized.

Prerequisites: MATH 112 or MATH 113 or MATH 115 or MATH 121

This course reviews basic programming concepts such as data types and variables, loops, functions, input/output and visualization. Students become prepared to produce larger, more complex applications. A strong emphasis on problem-solving as students explore how programming concepts are applied to scenarios drawn from healthcare and other domains. Students develop programming skills necessary to implement data structures, exception handling, and object-oriented concepts. Students are also introduced to incremental program development, testing, and debugging.

Prerequisites: Select One: MATH 113, MATH 115, MATH 121, MATH 180. Select One: CS 110, CIS 121

Introduction to database systems, entity relationship models, relational algebra, database design, data modeling, normalization, and conversion of business rules into relational model. Introduction to basic SQL including subqueries, joins, functions, sequences, triggers, views, and stored procedures.

Prerequisites: CIS 121 or an approved substitute.

Security concepts and mechanisms; security technologies; authentication mechanisms; mandatory and discretionary controls; cryptography and applications; threats; intrusion detection and prevention; regulations; vulnerability assessment; information assurance; forensics; anonymity and privacy issues; disaster recovery planning, legal issues and ethics.

Prerequisites: EE 107 or CIS 121 or an approved substitute.

This course explores both structured as well as object oriented systems analysis and design. Use of upper and lower CASE tools are employed in the analysis, design and implementation of a team oriented term project.

Prerequisites: CIS 122, CIS 340

Extensive coverage of SQL, database programming, large scale data modeling, and database enhancement through reverse engineering. This course also covers theoretical concepts of query processing, and optimization, basic understanding of concurrency control and recovery, and database security and integrity in centralized/distributed environments. Team-oriented projects in a heterogeneous client server environment.

Prerequisites: CIS 380

This course introduces students to a variety of existing and emerging technologies used within healthcare environments. Emphasis will be on software used to capture clinical data and generate reports. Students will complete a team oriented project incorporating business requirements, project management, and design elements for a system implementation, system change, or reporting request.

Prerequisites: CIS 113, CIS 340

The course explores big data in structured and unstructured data sources. Emphasis is placed on big data strategies, techniques and evaluation methods. Various data analytics are covered. Students experiment with big data through big data analytics, data mining, and data warehousing tools.

Prerequisites: CIS 223, CIS 440

This course discusses concepts and techniques for design, development and evaluation of user interfaces. Students will learn the principles of interaction design, interaction styles, user-centered design, usability evaluation, input/output devices, design and analysis of controlled experiments and principles of perception and cognition used in building efficient and effective interfaces. Group project work.

Prerequisites: MATH 121. Select one: STAT 154 or PSYC 201. Select one: CS 230 or CIS 380

Provides Information Technology majors an opportunity, in a small group setting, to explore a topic not normally covered in the curriculum. Prereq: Consent. Variable

Prerequisites: none

Special topics not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit on each new topic. Prereq: Consent

Prerequisites: none

Provides students with opportunity to utilize their training in a real-world business environment working under the guidance and direction of a faculty member. (At most 4 hours toward a major in this department). Fall, Spring, Summer Prereq: Permanent admission to IT and consent.

Prerequisites: none

The course will be an introduction to the analysis of spatial data using the concept of a geographic information system (GIS). Content of the course will be, to a great extent, based on the NCGIA core curriculum with assignments tailored to the data and software available within the department such as ArcGIS.

Prerequisites: none

A holistic perspective of pathophysiologic processes and their impact on body systems and overall human functioning. Focuses on the risk factors, pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of physiologic disease processes in humans. Students must have a minimum grade of a C in BIOL 220 and BIOL 330 in order to enroll in NURS 282.

Prerequisites: Minimum of a C in BIOL 220 and BIOL 330.

Focuses on the basic drug classification, concepts and principles of pharmacology with application of drug therapy. Implications relative to the utilization of drug therapy are examined. Dosage calculations are evaluated for competency. Students must have a minimum grade of a C in BIOL 220 and BIOL 330 in order to enroll in NURS 284.

Prerequisites: Minimum of a C in BIOL 220 and BIOL 330.

Provides an introduction to the profession of nursing and explores relationship-based care in healthcare. Provides an overview of concepts related to establishing caring and healing environments, developing therapeutic and professional relationships, and the inter-relationship of care for self, team, and patient.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-11

Focus on identification, implementation, and evaluation of patient/family quality and safety measures. Includes quality movement history and evolution, current quality of care issues, research and innovations, intervention strategies, and instruments; with an analysis of health care quality management system models.

Prerequisites: none

This course provides an overview of the innovative and entrepreneurial process within healthcare environments. Students conceptualize and develop a workflow or process improvement plan that includes understanding the current state, identifying innovative solutions, forecasting financial and human resource needs, analyzing potential organizational outcomes, and designing an implementation and evaluation strategy.

Prerequisites: NURS 286

This course provides an overview of legal and ethical issues within health informatics as related to accreditation requirements, licensure and regulatory agencies, payment and reimbursement, management and use of data, information, knowledge, and the technology used to communicate.

Prerequisites: NURS 286