Health informatics professionals work as part of a team that improves patient care by providing caregivers with easy access to patient information. Everyone on the team has the same goal: helping and healing patients.  Pharmacy informatics is a scientific field that focuses on medication-related data and knowledge within the continuum of healthcare systems.

How does pharmacy informatics improve patient care?

The collection, analysis and sharing of data helps pharmacists and other members of the care team make the appropriate decisions regarding the use of pharmaceutical treatments to enhance patient care. Informatics allow for a systematic approach to evaluating outcomes and making data-driven clinical decisions in real time.

Communication among all healthcare providers is essential to delivering quality care to patients. Working in this field can significantly improve patient outcomes, because it allows vital health data to be accessed by all of a patient’s healthcare providers. Instead of each provider having only his or her piece of the puzzle, they each have a more complete view of a patient’s health.

About

Students completing the dual degree will receive an MS non-thesis in Informatics (Health Informatics – Pharmacy) from the Graduate College and a PharmD from the College of Pharmacy.  Students will develop special expertise in public health, analytics, database management, and programming which can be applied in management of electronic health records, health information exchange standards, electronic prescribing, medication management, decision support, and other competencies.

  • The PharmD/MSHI provides an opportunity to receive formal training in Health Informatics combining information technology, communication and outcomes to improve healthcare.
  • P1 students with an undergraduate degree or 120 s.h. are eligible. Minimum GPA of 3.00.
  • Students pursue the MSHI degree program between the first and second years of the PharmD program (step-out year).

Admission Requirements and Procedures

PharmD students eligible to apply to the MS in Informatics (Health Informatics - Pharmacy) include those who have completed their bachelor's degree or 120sh of coursework.

  • A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00, or the foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions.
  • Official GRE General Test scores from the Educational Testing Service (the University's Institutional code is 6681)
  • The Health Informatics subprogram will accept one of the following official scores, GRE, PCAT or MCAT from the Educational Testing Service (the University's Institutional code is 6681)
  • For applicants whose native language is not English and who do not hold a degree from a US college or university, a score of 550 or higher is required on the paper-based (213 on the computer-based or 81* on the Internet based) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The University's Institutional code is 6681. All students submitting IELTS scores must earn a minimum score of 7.0, with no subscore lower than 6.0, and must take the on-campus English Proficiency Evaluation prior to registration.  For more information about English proficiency testing, please visit the Graduate College webpage: http://www.grad.uiowa.edu/manual-part-1-section-I-admission-to-the-graduate-college
  • A statement of purpose
  • A curriculum vitae
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • An Application for Graduate Awards
  • International students may also be required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores to comply with the university's English Language Proficiency

It is recommended that pharmacy students apply to the Graduate College for admission to the MS in Informatics (Health Informatics – Pharmacy) before entering the spring semester of their 1st year (P1) coursework.

Course Requirements

Health Informatics MS/PharmD Academic Plan of Study

Please check the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College for a complete description of the M.S. guidelines and requirements of the Graduate College. The requirements described here are in addition to the university-wide requirements for master’s degrees.

The combined program in Health Informatics offers an M.S. non-thesis/PharmD option and requires completion of a minimum of 32 course semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree with at least 18 of the 32 hours satisfying the requirements of the Certificate in Informatics.

M.S. Non Thesis – Final Exam Procedures

The student will need to fill out the Graduate College Plan of Study form, have it signed by the advisor and send it to the IGPI program coordinator (igpi-info@uiowa.edu).