Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology (Health Information Management)

This degree sits where health care and information systems meet. You learn how clinical data is captured, coded, stored and used, in hospitals, GP clinics, community health services and government agencies. The core covers health classification and clinical coding (including the Australian standards used to turn diagnoses and procedures into data), health informatics, database design, systems analysis, project management and health law and ethics. You also study the Australian health system itself, because you cannot manage health information without knowing how hospitals, primary care and insurers actually work.

How the degree is structured

It runs three years full time, the standard length of an Australian bachelor degree on the AQF. Study is organised into units of study, each worth credit points, usually delivered across two semesters a year with an optional summer session. You complete core units in information systems and health information management, plus electives and a final-year capstone where you work through a real health information problem from end to end. Assessment mixes exams with practical coding exercises, database work and team projects, so you build a portfolio, not just a transcript.

Work-integrated learning

Health information management is a field where placement matters, and this degree includes professional experience in health services. You may spend time in a hospital health information department, a clinical coding team or a health agency, supervised by practising staff. That placement is where the theory clicks: you code real medical records, work inside a patient administration system, and see how data quality affects funding, reporting and patient care. It also gives you referees and a sense of which part of the sector suits you.

Who it suits and what you gain

This suits school leavers and career changers who want a health career without direct clinical practice, and who are comfortable with both people and systems. You graduate able to classify diseases and procedures, query clinicians about documentation, design and query health databases, apply privacy and confidentiality rules, and manage health information projects. The degree is accredited with the relevant professional body for health information management in Australia, so check the current accreditation status on the official page before you apply. International students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying, and may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after graduating. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 110874A. English entry is typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for undergraduate courses, with equivalents accepted. Confirm all details, including placement arrangements and accreditation, with Western Sydney University.

• Clinical coder, public and private hospitals, day surgery centres and coding contractors, translating medical records into the codes used for funding and reporting.
• Health information manager, hospital health information departments, managing records, data quality, release of information and privacy compliance.
• Health data analyst, state health departments, primary health networks and research bodies, turning clinical data into reports and performance measures.
• Health informatics officer, health services and digital health vendors, supporting electronic medical record systems and clinical applications.
• Medical records administrator, GP clinics, community health organisations and aged care providers.
• Project officer, digital health, hospitals, government agencies and consultancies rolling out health IT systems.