This article covers information about Centennial College's Health Informatics program by taking a detailed look at five of its essential courses.

1. Capture the Latest Technology in Health Care Sector with Health Informatics Program
Centennial College's Health Informatics program enjoys a strong focus that prepares students for the
combination of computer science and health care they will experience in their positions as software
developers, health data analysts, database developers, systems implementation specialists and
business/systems analysts. While the field offers a range of careers, those who graduate from the Health
Informatics program concern themselves with the resources, devices and methods that optimize the
acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine as applied to areas such
as public health, clinical care, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and biomedical research. Graduates of the
Informatics Technology program are able to analyze and model data, develop healthcare databases and
apply different computer medical-imaging techniques.
To get students fully trained for the field in three years, Health Informatics courses in Canada focus
on object-oriented software design methodologies, user-oriented interface design, structure of healthcare
information systems, telehealth, data security and privacy in healthcare systems. Specific technologies
covered by Health Informatics courses include: C#, Java, J2EE, Oracle, MS-SQL Server, Unix/ Linux,
Microsoft's .NET, HTML/ XML, Rational/ WebSphere, Data warehousing and Data mining, and BI tools in
healthcare systems and more.
While the program consists of 36 Health Informatics courses, here are the Top 5 most vital topics covered
within the Health Informatics program.
Structure of HCIS: This Health Informatics course sees students explore the administrative and technical
environment of health care informatics as well as the techniques of data capture and storage employed in
this profession.
Tools, Algorithms & Methods for HCIS: Health Informatics program students explore contemporary
health informatics tools, algorithms and methods. Coursework emphasizes the use of HL7 as a standard
for exchanging information between medical applications, and the use of BI tools, such as Crystal Reports
and SAS, for analyzing and manipulating health care data.
Data Warehousing and Data Mining in HCIS: Data warehousing techniques allow organizations to
extract data from disparate data sources and transform it into actionable information. This course covers
basic data warehousing and data mining concepts and tools that can be used to create and manage data
warehousing and data mining systems.
Data Security and Privacy Policies in HCIS: This Health Informatics program course introduces
students to the issues of storing and transmitting patient information safely. As such, they learn the
different technologies available for encryption and signing of electronic transmissions.
Computer Techniques in Medical Imaging: First, this course explains core concepts related to digital
images manipulation in the medical field and then it follows up with examples processed in a freely
available software package.
It is also worth noting that the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists has deemed the Health
Informatics program as meeting the national technology accreditation requirements established by the
organization. As such, the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board has accredited it with national status.
The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists also recognizes the Health
Informatics program as having met all the academic requirements for certification in the Technologist
category.
Health Informatics program applicants must possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma
(OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Students must also possess compulsory English 12C
or U or skills assessment, or equivalent; and Math 11M or U, or 12C or U, or skills assessment, or
equivalent.
For more information visit Centennial College at
http://www.centennialcollege.ca/Programs/ProgramOverview.aspx?Program=3508