Georgia HIM Programs

New graduates celebrate with their families at their nursing commencement ceremony.

Health Information Management Programs in Georgia

Georgia is a wonderful state for anyone to get started on a healthcare career. Like Florida, it is very attractive to retirees and also has a strong healthcare system for the poor and elderly. Unlike Florida, it is not usually associated with these traits and tends to have many allied health job openings that are difficult to fill. One of the fastest growing areas of allied health is Health Information Management. Georgia Health Information Management Programs provide the chance to obtain an associate's, bachelor's or master's degree, so you can get started on this in a number of different ways.

An associate's degree is a very popular option for Health Information Management. Many students begin on these programs immediately after high school. However, a growing number of adult students and mid-career professionals have also pursued them as they begin to migrate online. An associate's degree only requires about two years of your time, and if you take it online you are able to study around your busy schedule. An associate's degree can put you on the path to the national median salary for Health Information Management professionals, which stands at $32,000 or so. However, you may need to get some training on the job to maximize your skills.

A bachelor's degree has been the "gold standard" for certain college fields for many decades now. A bachelor's degree takes four years to complete, but you can often transfer credits from your associate's degree in order to finish it sooner. If you have completed your associate's degree, you can get it done in as little as two more years. A bachelor's not only gives you technical skills for Health Information Management, but also helps you learn more about a variety of different subjects. Many employers consider bachelor's degree holders as top candidates for more senior roles in larger healthcare organizations.

If you want to ascend to the highest levels of leadership that any field can offer you, it's a good idea to make a master's degree your goal. While a master's degree is not required to enter the field, it will help you to become a leader in any field. In Health Information Management, a master's degree usually requires you to learn more about the most sophisticated tools and techniques in the field. This usually includes some technological skills, including database management and encoding for healthcare information. It also usually requires you to do a research project contributing to the understanding of the field as a whole.

• Georgia Division of Public Health