RAND Corporation estimates healthcare information technology will save $80 billion a year by reducing medical errors and costs. According to former Health and Human Services Secretary, Tommy Thomson, "Health Information Technology adoption is vital to the future of our Nation's health system." Staff in hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities as well as medical researchers, pharmacists, and insurance providers must acquire new healthcare informatics skills to ensure the integrity of healthcare information. St. Petersburg College proposes this project to meet the need for a skilled healthcare informatics workforce in six West Central Florida counties.

Learn more about the opportunities in healthcare informatics. Visit www.spcollege.edu/hec/informatics/ or call 727-341-4171.

This project was funded by a grant awarded under the Community Based Job Training Grants, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.

Minimum Program Requirements:

• Completion of St. Petersburg College Admission Application and the non-refundable fee.
• Submission of high school transcript(s) or GED. Applicants who have earned an Associate in Arts, Baccalaureate, or higher degree from an accredited institution are waived from this requirement.
• Submission of all transcripts from previously or currently enrolled colleges.
• Completion of placement testing and all college preparatory work. Applicants who have credits earned in mathematics, composition, and/or reading may be waived from the placement test.
• If previously or currently enrolled at SPC, academically in good standing.
• * Completion of CTS 1101 - Basic Computer and Information Literacy, HSC 1531, Medical Terminology, and BSC 1083, Human Anatomy, or (BSC 1085 and BSC 1085L, Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Lab, and BSC 1086 and BSC 1086L, Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Lab) with grades of “C” or better.
• ** Completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours in the general education and support courses of the Healthcare Informatics curriculum.
• Submission of the Health Programs Application form.

Within 90 days of the start of the first specialty course:

• Successful passing of a background check and drug screening.
• Completion of the Health Examination Form and any required immunizations.
• Completion of the Student Services Orientation and the Health Information Management Orientation.