Monday, April 12, 2010

An Education Question

I've come to the conclusion that I need more education.  I deal with a lot of professionals in this space, many of whom have credentials like M.D., M.Sc., RN, or Ph.D. after their name.  I have none of those, and cannot even claim a B.S. ;-)

Additional credentials would help, but what's really more important to me is the shared understanding one has with others who have been similarly educated in a particular field. 

My education in technology and software development, while not including all the traditional coursework, is not all that ad hoc, but my education in healthcare is a quite a bit more chaotic.  I often find myself at the second order of ignorance in the healthcare space, as I don't know what I don't know.  It can sometimes makes it difficult to understand others, and even more so to teach, because I don't know what students have already learned so that I can build from it.

One of my goals this year is to get enrolled in a Master's program in Health Informatics.  I want to learn what I don't know that others in this space do.  My challenge is that lack of a first credential.  I've found it rather difficult to locate a program that will have me.  I've presented at symposia and been a guest instructor for informatics classes at institutions that would not be able to enroll me in a masters program because of my lack of a bachelor's degree.  That makes me both giggle and cringe.

An optimal outcome for me would be to find a Master's program that would accept me without a bachelor's degree.  I have no interest in completing a bachelor's outside my chosen field, and not a lot of interest in spending the money to obtain that particular credential in it.  So, what are the other options? 

If you think you have an answer, feel free to leave a comment here, as I personally know others in this field similarly situated who could also benefit, or contact me directly.

2 comments:

  1. Keith

    I just completed the AMIA 10 x 10 at OHSU, Bill Hersch was the instructor. They have a MS in medical and biomedical informatics. Although I cant vouch for him, he does seem to be very reasonable and quite genuine. Contacting him would certainly be a great place to start. He is quite prompt with emails. hersh at ohsu dot edu

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  2. There is at least one school I can think of that has a Bachelors in Informatics. Maybe they would be willing to negotiate an accelarated BS and run you right into the Masters? It is a route I would not dicard. Also there are a couple that have certificate programs in Health Informatics but I am afraid they also require the BS. The first route would be my suggestion.

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