De Montfort University has introduced a health
informatics degree to help meet the need for IT expertise in the
health service.
Starting in September, the BSc (Hons) in health informatics is
one of the first full-time degree courses of its kind in the
UK.
Bob John, professor of computer science at De Montfort
University, said, “There was a growing interest from members of
staff with links to the NHS. Also, we are developing a strategy for
a more vocational degree in specific areas.”
Entry requirements are the same as that of a computer science
degree and will depend on the individual candidate. The course will
include modules from the university’s social science faculty on the
political and social history of healthcare in the UK, including the
current structure of the NHS, as well as standard computing
modules.
John said he expected about 20 students in the first year, but
numbers would increase thereafter. “The real thrust will begin in
2007, once the course has been marketed properly. Our intake will
move up to about 30 students,” he said.
The course takes four years, including a placement year. “All
our degrees include a placement year, and we already have students
taking places in local NHS organisations,” John said.
The £6.2bn NHS national programme for IT – the largest civil IT
project in the world – is driving demand for graduates with health
sector-related IT skills.
“We expect students to go into the NHS, its service providers,
or into private healthcare,” John said. “However, the degree
includes sufficient generic computing skills that if students want
to take up opportunities in other areas of computing once they
graduate, they can.”