Bryan University has teamed with IBM to create a unique simulation laboratory for healthcare informatics students to gain critical, near real-world experience in the field.
Students enrolled in Bryan University’s Master of Science in Applied Health Informatics programs are trained to use information technology to analyze processes and outcomes in healthcare to improve patient care, and clinical and operational efficiencies. The partnership with IBM allows students to work with real data and with advanced analytic tools to acquire skills immediately deployable in a wide variety of workplace environments.
According to Don Gull, Chancellor of Bryan University, this represents a natural partnership between two organizations that share a similar goal of using innovation and education to create solutions to real-world problems. “Bryan University has been a leader in innovative education for nearly three-quarters of a century. We are honored to join with the preeminently creative IBM team in the development of our healthcare analytics program,” said Gull. “Our students will participate in a unique educational experience that will evidence competencies immediately rewarding to the healthcare industry.”
The partnership was established through IBM’s University Relations program, which fosters academic alliances, collaborative research and educational projects worldwide. Through the partnership, Bryan University students use Cognos, IBM’s business intelligence software with integrated analytics, to analyze healthcare data. In the future, the hope is to expose students to still more advanced health analytics software programs in IBM’s suite of analytics solutions, including IBM Content Analytics and IBM Patient Care and Insights.
The demand for health informatics professionals continues to grow at a much faster pace than other careers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which projects a 22 percent increase within the next eight years. Regulatory agencies and accrediting organizations require comprehensive reporting of healthcare processes and outcomes, creating an explosive demand for trained professionals. The Bryan University master’s program includes specific tools and techniques that students will use to describe and report data for compliance and regulatory requirements. To address the market’s interest in population health management, students also learn advanced analytics and predictive modeling methodologies.
According to T Forcht Dagi, MD, DMedSc, MPH, Vice Chancellor of Bryan University and Dean of Medical Informatics, the value of this partnership cannot be overstated. “We are very grateful for IBM’s generosity and for working with us to provide an extraordinary and unique learning environment for our students. Informatics is not an ivory-tower subject. It requires the mastery of skills and perspectives that can only be obtained through a virtual laboratory simulation. We believe IBM will help us develop students whose knowledge and skills will make them immediate contributors to employers in the healthcare economy.”
Founded in 1940, Bryan University offers exclusive degrees to match high-growth professions in the health and legal industries. In addition to the Master of Science in Applied Health Informatics, the university offers an Associate Degree in Health Information Technology. More information about the health informatics degrees as well as other programs of study is available at www.bryanuniversity.edu.
