New certificate program at Shoreline Community College: Health Data Analyst

Students who want to pursue a career in the high-demand healthcare field now have even more options. This winter, Shoreline Community College is launching a new Health Data Analyst Certificate, an 18-credit certificate that teaches students how to analyze, interpret, organize, and present health data.

“COVID-19 has increased awareness of data’s importance in providing effective healthcare,” said Dr. Melanie Meyer, Director of the Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) program at the college. “While we’ve been developing the certificate for awhile, the launch is timely with the current pandemic.”

Health data analysts work with many different types of health data and may help answer questions critical to their organization’s operation, such as how many COVID tests have been performed or COVID patients have been admitted. They can also help their organization understand and visualize current staffing and reimbursement trends.

Students learn how data is used for quality and performance improvement, best practices in data visualization, and how health statistics are used to guide decision making.

Given the growth in health data available and the need to improve healthcare delivery, demand is growing for qualified health data analysts. “This certificate trains students for a career with strong growth and earnings potential,” said Meyer.

The certificate will launch in winter 2021 with the HIIM 239 Health Data Visualization class, which focuses on using Tableau and Excel for presenting healthcare data. The only prerequisite for HIIM 239 is Excel, so anyone who has taken Excel can sign up for the course.

“One of the great things about this program is that it gives students practical hands-on experience using data applications and data visualization tools professionals use in the field,” said Meyer. “And students get the opportunity to complete a real-world healthcare data project.”

“It’s a one-of-a-kind offering in this area,” said Meyer. “And, it’s stackable with other HIIM programs, so students can get a really well-rounded skillset that increases their job options. Pursuing transfer to a four-year degree program is also a great next step if that’s their goal.”

The certificate qualifies for Workforce Education funding, which provides free tuition for qualified students.

Learn more about the Health Data Analyst Certificate.