Career Information At a Glance
Biomedical informatics refers to the science of studying computer and medical information in order to improve our knowledge of health and biology. Epidemiology, software developing and postsecondary teaching are all potential careers in this field. Keep reading to find out more and about each of these options.
| Epidemiologist | Software Developer | Postsecondary Teacher | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Overview | Study causes and cures for illness and other public health issues | Design various types of computer programs and systems. | Conduct research and teach students. |
| Education Requirements | At least a master's degree | At least a bachelor's degree | Usually a doctoral or professional degree |
| Program Length | 3-5 years for a bachelor's; 1-2 more years for a master's degree; 3-5 more years for a PhD | 3-5 years for a bachelor's; 1-2 more years for a master's degree | 3-5 years for a bachelor's; 1-2 more years for a master's degree; 3-5 more years for a PhD |
| Work Experience | Varies based on the employer | Varies based on the employer | Varies based on the employer |
| Job Outlook for 2012-2022 | Average growth (10%) compared to all occupations* | Much faster-than-average growth (22%) compared to all occupations* | Faster-than-average growth (19%) compared to all occupations* |
| Mean Salary (2014) | $74,120* | $106,050* | $86,200* |
Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Epidemiologist
As an epidemiologist, you'll typically be responsible for investigating and researching public health issues and diseases. For example, you might study substance abuse, occupational health, child health, oral health, emergency response and chronic illnesses. Common job duties include researching the cause of illnesses, creating prevention measures, operating health programs, collecting data, managing personnel, and communicating with other health professionals and policy makers. You could work for a university, state or federal government agency, nonprofit organization or private company.
Requirements
A master's degree in biology, epidemiology or a related discipline is typically required to become an epidemiologist, although many employers may prefer a PhD. There are also post-doctorate programs available in biomedical informatics that may prove helpful. The number of years of experience that you'll need depends on the employer and the position.
The following are samples of epidemiology positions that were posted online in January 2013:
- A university medical center in Dallas was seeking an epidemiology nurse to work under an Infection Control Manager. Requirements included a state RN license, an associate's degree in nursing and at least a year of experience.
- In New York, a nonprofit organization was looking for an epidemiologist and data analyst with four years of experience and a Master of Public Health or Master of Science degree in fields that included epidemiology, bio-statistics or a related discipline.
- A health company in California was searching for an epidemiology research data consultant with 3-5 years of experience in SQL, SAS and VBA data programming, as well as three years of consulting experience. The ideal applicant would have a bachelor's degree in health care administration, public health administration, economics, finance, statistics or a related field; however, a master's degree was preferred.
Standing Out
Completing an internship may be a solid way to bolster your resume and gain experience in the field of epidemiology. An internship opportunity in this field might provide such opportunities as learning about program evaluation and developing a needs assessment plan. You might be able to prepare for a career in medical research while developing the background you need for medical and/or graduate school.
Software Developer
Some graduates with degrees in biomedical informatics gain employment as software developers. As a software developer, you'll design, create and troubleshoot issues with many different kinds of biomedical informatics-related computer programs. You may also be in charge of instructing software programmers on how to write the necessary code for new or updated software. You'll often collaborate with a team of computer and health professionals and maintain highly detailed records.
Requirements
Although requirements tend to vary greatly, you'll often need a bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology (IT) in order to become a software developer. To design specifically for biological software applications, you may also need some postsecondary education in biology, in this case, biomedical informatics in particular. The experience you need to start or even to advance in the field will vary by employer.
Here are a handful of software development jobs that were advertised in January of 2013:
- A cancer center in New York sought a bioinformatics senior software engineer with five years of software development experience and a master's degree in bioinformatics, computer science or math.
- In Tampa, FL, a company was looking for a computer science and biomedical research engineer with a master's or doctoral degree in computer science and at least seven years of related experience.
- Five years experience and a master's or doctoral degree in biology or computer science was required for a bioinformatics analyst position in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Standing Out
Gaining familiarity with different software and hardware operating systems can help display your versatility in software development. Knowledge of Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X all can be useful. You may also learn software-programming languages like C, C++ and Java, as well as scripting languages, such as Perl, Python and AWK or even databases like MySQL and Oracle.
Postsecondary Teacher
Biomedical informatics postsecondary teachers usually conduct scientific research and work with students, faculty and administrators. You'll develop course curricula, conduct experiments and, in some cases, publish your work. With biology and biomedical informatics as your specialization, there's a fair chance that you'll spend a certain amount of your time working in a university medical research facility or health center.
Requirements
With the exception of certain technical and community college positions, you'll usually need to earn a doctoral degree in order to enter postsecondary academia. Considerable teaching and research experience is usually a plus. To be granted tenure, you'll usually need at least seven years of experience, often in the same institution.
In January 2013, employers listed the following postsecondary positions on the Internet:
- A university in Michigan sought a senior biomedical neuroscientist and tenure-track professor. Requirements included a doctorate and previous research in stem-cell treatment.
- In Hoboken, NJ, a technology institute was seeking a full-time, tenure-track biomedical engineering professor with a PhD.
- In Michigan, a university was hiring an assistant professor in biomedical sciences and anatomy with a PhD in Anatomy or a related discipline. Post-graduate work was preferred.
Standing Out
In order to stand out as a postsecondary biomedical informatics professor, try to have your writing and research findings published in peer-reviewed academic, IT and scientific journals. This can demonstrate to future employers that you have a strong grasp of the field, as well as help you gain respect among your peers. Another way to bolster your resume is with relevant teaching experience, such as working as a TA in a biomedical informatics (or related) course.
