Clinical Informatics Board Review Course Design

AMIA’s Clinical Informatics Board Review Course is designed for American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Board certified physicians who seek certification in Clinical Informatics. It provides a high-level review of the Core Content of Clinical Informatics on which the exam will be based and helps participants develop a learning map that highlights where they need to spend additional preparation time.

The course includes sample test questions, references for further study, and test-taking strategies. The face-to-face course provides opportunities to interact with Clinical Informatics subject matter experts and to spend time in informal sessions sharing with and learning from other course participants. While the primary goal of the course is to assist participants in preparing for the certification exam, we also anticipate that participants will find the course beneficial in their clinical informatics practice.

Two options are available: face-to-face (live) courses and an online course. Both courses are based on the Core Content for Clinical Informatics which in turn is the basis for the Board Exam.

The online course will be available in summer 2013. These courses will be complemented by an online practice exam which will also be available in summer 2013.

The Live (Face-to-Face) Course

A three-day, intensive review of the Clinical Informatics Core Content provided by faculty who are leaders in informatics education and experienced practicing clinical informaticians.

At the end of this course, participants will have been provided a comprehensive review of the core content for Clinical Informatics that will be the basis for the examination for certification and will have identified those areas where they need further study.

The Online Course

Utilizing core curriculum and course content developed by the course faculty, a state-of-the-art e-learning course will be developed and available this summer.

AMIA has partnered with Scitent to design the online version of the Clinical Informatics Board Review Course. Scitent specializes in working with associations to produce custom course content and educational strategies that empower memberships and emerging workforces. The custom courseware combined with Scitent’s hosted LMS program is an efficient way to prepare for the Board Exam.

The Practice Examination

An online practice exam which will also be available in summer 2013 and offered through Scitent’s LMS. The practice examination can be purchased only in conjunction with the face-to-face and/or online course. A team of clinical informatics subject matter experts is currently developing a robust set of practice questions similar to what a physician might find on the official CI examination to be offered this fall through ABPM.

Learning Objectives

This course will provide:

• An overview of the content on which the examination for certification in the subspecialty of Clinical Informatics will be based.
• Sample questions for each of the major topic areas
• References for additional study
• Opportunities to interact with faculty and fellow students
• Guidance on how to prepare an application to sit for the exam
• Test-taking tips/what to expect on the exam
• More than 20 hours of lecture
• Interactive evening sessions

Individuals who complete the Review Course should be able to demonstrate knowledge of current clinical practice across the spectrum of Clinical Informatics, as evidenced by their ability to:

• Describe the role of data across the health care system, the laws governing use of data, and technical approaches to ensuring quality and protection of data
• Identify the range of clinical decision support tools; explain how to determine which application is appropriate for specific situations; describe how to develop and implement clinical decision support tools.
• Describe the processes of developing or selecting a clinical information system, preparing and supporting clinicians for system implementation, and evaluating system effectiveness.
• Identify the key types of health information systems and describe how to achieve system interoperability.
• Identify the non-technical factors that influence the adoption of clinical information systems by clinicians and describe strategies for promoting effective use of clinical information systems.
   

Course Syllabus

Lectures will cover:

• History and Current State of Informatics
• Ethics, Privacy, Legal, and Regulatory Issues in Informatics
• The Health System
• Clinical Decision-Making
• Applied Decision-Support
• Knowledge Acquisition, Storage, and Appropriate Use
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Information Retrieval
• Clinical Workflow Analysis
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Computer Programming and Methods of Software Development
• Systems, Database, and Network Architecture
• Information Security and Privacy
• Healthcare Data Reuse: Challenges and Strategies
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Systems in Practice
• HIT Architectures and Interfaces
• Standards for Representing Clinical Data: Part 1
• Standards for Representing Clinical Data: Part 2
• Messaging and Interoperability
• Selection and Implementation of Clinical Systems
• Operation, Support, and Maintenance of Clinical Systems
• Evaluation of Clinical Systems In Situ
• Organizational Behavior
• Building Effective Healthcare IT Teams
• Communication Strategies
• Project Management
• Strategic Planning
• Healthcare IT Budgeting and Resource Allocation
• Change Management