Go
AMIA Web
FAQ | Site Map | Contact Us
Home About Informatics FAQ
  1. What is AMIA?
  2. Who are AMIA's members?
  3. What is biomedical and health informatics?
  4. What can I do with a degree in biomedical and health informatics? What are the career opportunities?
  5. What are the salary ranges?
  6. Which US universities/colleges offer medical informatic degrees?
  7. Why should I become a member of AMIA?
  8. How can I participate in the association?
  9. How can I become a presenter at AMIA meetings?
  10. Does AMIA provide suggestions/referrals for medical billing or patient records software?
  11. Does AMIA publish data or information geared towards the consumer?
  12. Does AMIA rent its mailing lists?
  13. What do I need to know as a presenter?
  14. How can I order reprints of the AMIA Proceedings?
  15. Does AMIA allow on-line advertising via it’s web site?

  1. What is AMIA?
    The American Medical Informatics Association is the premier organization in the United States dedicated to the development and application of biomedical and health informatics in the support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care administration. AMIA was founded in 1990 through the merger of three existing health informatics associations. Since that time, AMIA has grown to more than 3,000 members from 42 countries worldwide. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in health care information technology.

  2. Who are AMIA's members?
    AMIA's individual members are physicians, nurses, dentists, biomedical engineers, medical librarians, researchers, scientists, educators, students and other health care professionals who have a strong interest in biomedical and health informatics. AMIA's institutional and corporate members are nonprofit organizations, associations, universities, hospitals, libraries and corporations with an interest in biomedical and health informatics.

  3. What is biomedical and health informatics?
    Medical informatics has to do with all aspects of understanding and promoting the effective organization, analysis, management, and use of information in health care. While the field of biomedical and health informatics shares the general scope of these interests with some other health care specialties and disciplines, biomedical and health informatics has developed its own areas of emphasis and approaches that have set it apart from other disciplines and specialties. For one, a common thread through biomedical and health informatics has been the emphasis on technology as an integral tool to help organize, analyze, manage, and use information. In addition, as professionals involved at the intersection of information and technology and health care, those in biomedical and health informatics have historically tended to be engaged in the research, development, and evaluation side of things, and in studying and teaching the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of data applications in health care. However, today biomedical and health informatics also counts among its profession many whose activities are focussed on dimensions that include the administration and everyday collection and use of information in health care. For an account of some of the definitions that describe the field in more formal and scientific terms, click here.

  4. What can I do with a degree in biomedical and health informatics? What are the career opportunities?
    Those with degrees in biomedical and health informatics have a wide variety of opportunities. The exact nature of career/job choices will depend on one's emphasis in the degree program. People coming out of degree programs may be managers, project designers, researchers, programmers, systems analysts, or educators; the settings in which they work can range from hospitals and health systems to health information technology system industry representatives to eHealth companies to insurers to academic departments.

    There are several items available to you through this Web site that should help you understand the nature and scope of careers in biomedical and health informatics. For a sampling of job opportunities currently available, visit the AMIA Job Exchange on this Web site. For more general discussions, visit the 1998 article "Career Focus: Medical Informatics" in the online edition of the British Medical Journal.

  5. What are the salary ranges?
    Because there is such a wide scope of opportunity, it is difficult to state a starting or potential upper end salary for those entering the field. The best way to get an idea is to peruse job listings (such as is available on the Job Exchange section of this Web site) or to talk with a student advisor in the academic program one is considering.

  6. Which US universities/colleges offer medical informatic degrees?
    AMIA maintains on this Web site a list of formal academic and training programs in medical, nursing, and health care informatics. For more information refer to the Academic & Training Programs section of the Resource Center on the Web site.

  7. Why should I become a member of AMIA?
    AMIA provides a unique set of opportunities for individuals and organizations who share an interest in biomedical and health informatics to learn, network, and contribute to the profession. For a fuller description of these opportunities and the specific benefits and services afforded to members, see the Member Center.

  8. How can I participate in the association?
    By becoming a member, you are eligible to participate in the association in a number of ways. AMIA's topical interest groups - our Working Groups - are a focus of open participation in the association. Each of these groups meets regularly at the AMIA Annual Symposium to discuss matters of common interest, organizes program sessions and workshops to put on at the Annual Symposium, designs and carries out other projects throughout the year, and has lively ongoing discussion of current topics on its electronic discussion list. Each member's membership fee includes unlimited affiliation with Working Groups. Members may also volunteer to serve on one of the association's committees, which constitute the structural side of AMIA. Members may also submit papers or proposals for panels, posters, theater-style demonstrations, and tutorials for consideration for presentation at the Annual Symposium (see below).

  9. How can I become a presenter at AMIA meetings?
    Papers and other presentations at the AMIA Annual Symposium are selected on a peer-review basis. Any member may submit a paper or a proposal for a panel, poster, theater-style demonstration, or tutorial for consideration. Many papers and proposals accepted are from first-time submitters, so the process is a very open one. The deadline for submitting papers and proposals for consideration is generally early March of the year in which the Symposium will be held. Submissions must conform to the requirements outlined in the AMIA Annual Symposium Call for Participation issued for the appropriate year. Check the AMIA "Annual Symposium" selection under the "Meetings" section on this AMIA Web site to see the Call, or phone the AMIA office at (301)657-1291.

  10. Does AMIA provide suggestions/referrals for medical billing or patient records software?
    AMIA does not endorse any specific product, system, or service. AMIA does maintain on its Web site an extensive list of companies offering hardware, software, and related technology services designed specifically for use in certain aspects of health care. For more information, refer to the Health IT Marketplace Section of the Resource Center on this Web site.

  11. Does AMIA publish data or information geared towards the consumer?
    Generally not. However, we have included a section in the Resource Center of this Web site under Other sites of Interest that contains links to a number of association and federal agency Web sites that contain consumer and patient information on various health topics. AMIA does not endorse or rank any of these or any other Web sites.

  12. Does AMIA rent its mailing lists?
    Yes, AMIA rents its mailing list. AMIA reserves the right to reject, at its discretion, any request for use of its mailing labels. When use of mailing labels is permitted by AMIA, such permission is granted solely on condition that the request is for a one-time use for the express purpose described in the written request. Any use inconsistent with the written request is prohibited. All names and addresses furnished by AMIA remain the property of AMIA and may not be retained in any database. Download AMIA's Label Use Agreement Form (pdf).

  13. What do I need to know as a presenter?
    Check out the AMIA Speakers Manual (pdf).

  14. How can AMIA become an Endorser/Co-sponsor for an activity or product?
    From time to time, AMIA is asked to co-sponsor or endorse an activity or product with another organization (a meeting, publication, etc.). Please use the Request for Co-sponsorship Approval Form.

  15. How can I order reprints of the AMIA Proceedings?
    Request for AMIA Proceedings Reprint Order Form

  16. Does AMIA allow on-line advertising via it’s web site?
    Yes, On-line advertising is an important component of some of the most successful branding campaigns and AMIA can help you reach a targeted audience of health IT thought leaders. Advertisers must use advertising sizes in only the specified sizes we offer. File sizes for ads should be no more than 20k for static images, 35k for animations. Banner ads should be provided in one of the two standards for the internet: .gif or .jpg. There will be an additional charge to convert images from other formats. For additional information and mechanical specifications, download AMIA’s On-line Media Kit Form (pdf) for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMIA, 4915 St. Elmo Avenue, Suite 401, Bethesda, MD 20814, phone:301-657-1291, fax:301-657-1296, mail@amia.org

Last Modified: April 16, 2007

© 2007 American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved.