Health Information Specialist

Duties and Responsibilities: Most health information management specialists focus on patient security or privacy coding or record administration. Many professionals are employed by hospitals, where they work with patient care data and ensure proper insurance payment reimbursement, the accuracy of data for public health records and the security of patients' electronic health records information. Other professionals may work for government agencies, insurance companies or other health care facilities.

Salary:$37,710

Education: In order to find an entry level position, aspiring health information management specialists need to be familiar with basic medical vocabulary and insurance coding techniques. Most employers hire candidates that have earned an associate's degree in health information management. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were over 200 schools in the United States accredited to offer such a program through the Commission for Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Courses in these programs focus on topics that include medical terminology, anatomy, medical coding, statistics and database security.

Reflection: I would not like to be one.