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Professional Studies > Professional Programs > Weill Cornell Health Information Technology Certificate Program > Overview

Applications will be accepted until May 25, 2012. Applicants who want to apply for financial assistance must submit their applications before May 5, 2012.

Weill Cornell Health Information Technology Certificate Program

July 14-December 15, 2012

Overview

The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences is pleased to offer a five-month Weill Cornell Health Information Technology Certificate Program that will provide students with the practical knowledge and skills required to implement, maintain, and use electronic health records (EHRs) in health organizations.

Health information technology (health IT) is a top national priority to improve health care delivery, reduce medical errors, improve care coordination and efficiency, engage patients in their own health care, and serve public health. The federal government is promoting health IT and the deployment of EHRs, including monetary incentives for “meaningful use” of EHRs, requiring 51,000 new health IT professionals over the next five years. Cornell is uniquely positioned to provide the experience, faculty, and resources needed to train these professionals.

The program involves pragmatic training that addresses the technical, legal, social, financial, and clinical environment surrounding EHR implementation.

It focuses on the skills and knowledge most sought by employers and provides graduate-level training in:

  • health information technology,
  • informatics,
  • project management, and
  • communication and teamwork.

Program graduates will be well prepared to enter a wide variety of health IT jobs in public health and clinical settings, in both the private and public sectors. Depending on his or her background, a trainee may be qualified to apply for such jobs as applications analyst, clinical analyst, EHR software trainer, quality assurance engineer, software engineer, technical manager, database engineer, information security and compliance analyst, and project manager.

The coursework is developed and delivered by a team that includes chief information officers and chief medical information officers, security officers, software vendors, state policymakers, and other experts working every day at the cutting edge of health information technology.

The program includes both online and in-person instruction, for an average of eight hours per week. In addition, mandatory in-person sessions are held one Saturday a month at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and in New York City. Financial assistance, covering 40 percent of program cost, will be offered to a limited number of students.

At the end of the course, successful trainees will receive a certificate of completion from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, be invited to a health IT job fair, and may request 19.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

The curriculum was jointly developed with Columbia University's Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI).