Informatics Education Curriculum

Most students starting the MMI program have either a technical or a clinical background. In order to bring all students to a level where they can succeed in the core program, they are placed into one of two tracks upon admission:

• the technologist track is for students with a technical background and consists of two courses to introduce them to the American health care system and the clinical landscape
• the clinician track is for students with clinical backgrounds and consists of two courses designed to familiarize them with basic concepts in computer databases and networking

Students with little background in either area may be asked to take all four of the track courses.

The technical and clinical paths then merge in the program's common core of seven courses and a leadership class. The program concludes with a capstone project, which combines research with hands-on experience and provides an opportunity for students to take advantage of the resources of Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine.

A minimum of 11 units of credit are required for the MMI degree, with each course counting as one unit of credit. The curriculum applies to the MMI, MMI online, and MD/MMI degrees. (Students may be required to complete up to 14 courses in order to gain the necessary background in the field.)

Track Courses (2 courses)

Clinician

• CIS 313 Telecommunications and Computer Networks
• CIS 317 Introduction to Databases

Technologist

• MED INF 401 American Health Care System
• MED INF 402 Introduction to Clinical Thinking

Core Courses (7 courses)

• PUB HLTH 302 Introduction to Biostatistics or MED INF 409-DL Biostatistics and Medical Informatics for online students
• MED INF 403 Introduction to Medical Informatics
• MED INF 404 Health Care Enterprise Operations
• MED INF 405 Health Care Information Technology (HIT) Integration, Interoperability, and Standards
• MED INF 406 Decision Support Systems and Health Care
• MED INF 407 Legal, Ethical, and Social Issues
• MED INF 408 Medical Technology Acquisition and Assessment

Leadership Class (1 course)

SCS strives to equip its students with fundamental skills in effective leadership, communication, innovation, and change management. In order to gain exposure to theories and best practices in these administrative areas, MMI students join other SCS graduate students in a 10-week leadership class. With these skills complementing the core curriculum, graduates are better prepared to face the challenges of the modern workplace.

Students in the online program take the 10-week online leadership class that culminates in a required three-day session at Northwestern University. Students will stay in downtown Chicago, in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Examples of the on-campus events may include meeting MMI faculty and industry experts at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and touring the hospital's information system; attending a faculty discussion panel; and meeting with leaders from Evanston Northwestern Healthcare to gain firsthand understanding of their transition to paperless medical records and some of the associated leadership challenges.

Capstone Project (1 course)

MMI students may pursue their capstone experience independently or as part of a team. As their final course, students take either the individual research project in an independent study format or the classroom capstone class in which students integrate the knowledge they have gained in the core curriculum in a project presented by the instructor. In both cases students are guided by MMI faculty in exploring the body of knowledge on medical informatics while contributing research of practical value to the field. The capstone independent project and capstone class project count as one unit of credit.

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