Health informatics
Entry requirements
All members of the NHS team, including healthcare professionals, managers and administrators, rely on fast, accurate information to deliver the best care they can: making health informatics one of the bedrocks of the NHS.
The following entry requirements will help you identify which career you might be most suited to:
With good GCSEs and/or work experience
You may not need formal qualifications to begin working in health informatics, although GCSEs or equivalent qualifications and/or some work experience can be an advantage. At entry level, you can apply for a range of assistant jobs, working in libraries, wards and outpatient departments, or on computer helpdesks, supporting healthcare and health informatics professionals. For more information on roles see here.
With A-Levels
With A levels, equivalent qualifications and/or some work experience, you can start your career as a management trainee. There are also opportunities for existing staff to enter junior management positions. A levels may also be helpful for some specialist roles, for example A levels in anatomy and/or physiology are helpful for specialist library posts such as clinical librarian. For more information on roles see here.
As a graduate
A strong academic background and sound management experience opens up opportunities to senior management positions in health informatics. An IT trainer role may require a first degree and a teaching or training-related qualification. Staff working in information management often hold a degree or masters degree in health informatics. A degree in library and information studies or information science will allow you to join the professional tier of the library service. For a very senior role, such as knowledge services manager, you may also need a postgraduate qualification in information and library work. For more information on roles see here.
